In an emergency meeting held on Sunday morning, the Prime Minister of Nepal K.P. Sharma Oli recommended dissolution of the Parliament and asked for an general election to be held thereafter. By the ratification of President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, the official announcements were observed. A two-phased announcement would be held on April 30 and May 10 the next year as specified by the President.
The dramatic decision came after weeks of tension with challenger Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda' who has been demanding that Mr. Oli change his style of governance. Senior leaders in the party believe this will lead to expulsion and counter expulsion of leaders followed by a split soon. There are also chances of the decision being challenged in court.
Oli’s loss of majority in crucial bodies in the party central secretariat, standing committee and the central committee and dissidents labelling charges of corruption against the party had pushed the infighting to a point of no return. Opposition MPs had been contemplating moving ‘impeachment’ motion against the president which the dissolution of the House has now thwarted.
“The decision is unconstitutional as there is no provision in our 2015 Constitution to dissolve a Parliament that is functioning perfectly well. The problem was inside the Nepal Communist Party and the Prime Minister cannot attack the Parliament for his inability to deal with intra-party dissidents,” said Rajendra Mahto of Janata Samajvadi Party. Mr. Mahto said Nepal would face uncertain future because of Mr. Oli’s decision.
“The decision amounts to a coup,” he said. Political leaders, including former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, have cautioned about the future of Nepal in the backdrop of Sunday's Cabinet decision. “President Oli's recommendation is extremely unfortunate and is against the interest of democracy. All political parties of Nepal must protest against this development,” he said.