KP Sharma Oli sworn in as Nepal’s PM for fourth time

KATHMANDU: The chairperson of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), K P Sharma Oli, was appointed the Prime Minister of Nepal for the fourth time on Monday at the President’s office in Sheetal Niwas.

He was appointed to the post by President Ram Chandra Paudel as per Article 76(2) of Nepal’s constitution. After being sworn in as Prime Minister, Oli also inducted 21 ministers on board the cabinet which includes two Deputy Prime Ministers.

Oli and Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba jointly signed an application for the President to appoint the UML chief the new prime minister on Friday evening right after the results of the vote of confidence.

#Nepal: PM KP Sharma Oli takes oath as PM along with 21 Ministers joining the cabinet from four parties in the freshly brewed alliance. President Ramchandra Paudel administered the oath of Office and Secrecy to KP Sharma Oli as the Prime Minister of Nepal today. pic.twitter.com/L8E5MWL2uj

— DD News (@DDNewslive) July 15, 2024

Oli, with the backing of the Nepali Congress and smaller parties, had on Friday submitted signatures of 165 lawmakers claiming majority support in parliament for Prime Ministership. Prakash Man Singh and Bishnu Paudel took charge as Deputy Prime Ministers. The Prime Minister must take a vote of confidence within 30 days of appointment to prove his support.

The Oli-led cabinet includes ministers from the Nepali Congress, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) and Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP). Since the NC and UML have set aside four ministries for other parties, other fringe parties in the federal parliament are also expected to join his cabinet.

The Constitution of Nepal mandates a Prime Minister to cross a majority of 138 out of 275 seats in the House of Representatives to take over as the Prime Minister.

The Nepali Congress and CPN-UML (Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist) had signed an agreement on July 2 to divide 9 and 8 ministries respectively on board the council of ministry. As per the July 2 deal between Congress chief Deuba and UML chairman, Oli, the two parties will lead the government on a rotational basis until the next general elections in 2027. But, the deal has not been made public to date.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his best wishes to KP Sharma Oli on his appointment as the Prime Minister of Nepal.

“Congratulations @kpsharmaoli on your appointment as the Prime Minister of Nepal. Look forward to working closely to further strengthen the deep bonds of friendship between our two countries and to further expand our mutually beneficial cooperation for the progress and prosperity of our peoples,” the Prime Minister posted on X.

Oli first became Prime Minister of Nepal on October 12, 2015, and helmed the government for the second time on February 15, 2018; and the third time in 2021. (ANI)