Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal gets new coalition partners, wins vote of confidence

For the second time in 70 days, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre (CPN-MC) and Nepal Prime Minister won vote of confidence in the Parliament of Nepal on March 20, 2023 with the help of new coalition partners. Dahal secured 172 votes in the 275-member Nepal's House of Representatives. 89 lawmakers voted against him and one legislator abstained. Nepali Congress, CPN-Maoist Centre, Rashtriya Swatantra Party, Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party Nepal, CPN-Unified Socialist, Janamat Party, Nagarik Unmukti Party, Rashtriya Janamorcha and Aam Janata Party voted in Dahal's favour. CPN-UML and Rashtriya Prajatantra Party voted against him. In the voting process, Nepal Majdoor Kisan Party abstained. Dahal was born in Pokhara, Nepal. He received a diploma of science in agriculture from Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science in Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal.

According to Nepal's Constitution, the Prime Minister is required to take a vote of confidence within 30 days after political parties supporting the government withdraw their support. The incumbent Prime Minister had to take a vote of confidence before March 26.

Dahal was forced to seek a vote of confidence as two parties in the seven-party alliance – Rastriya Prajatantra Party and CPN-UML– withdrew their support to his government. These two parties opposed his proposal to back Nepali Congress leader Ramchandra Paudel for the position of president. Earlier he had passed the first floor test on January 10, 2023 with 268 votes after all parties except the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party and the Rastriya Janamorcha voted in favour of the government.

Dahal was sworn in as the country’s Prime Minister on December 25, 2022 for the third time after the 2022 Nepalese general election, with an alliance with political parties including CPN (UML), Rastriya Swatantra Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party. In the first floor test, Dahal secured over a 99 per cent vote of confidence from the parliament on January 10, 2023. He had to seek a vote of confidence for a second time after he he formed a 9-party coalition supporting the Nepali Congress Presidential candidate. 

Dahal held the prime ministerial post from 2008 to 2009 as the first prime minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. He again became the Prime Minister from 2016 to 2017.  

'Prachanda', the Nepali Prime Minister is expected to visit India soon on his first foreign trip after becoming PM for the third time.