Nepal's Prachanda Faces Defeat in Fifth Vote of Confidence Amid Political Strife

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) is set for his fifth vote of confidence amid certainty of losing it. Major parties, Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, have issued whips against him. Dahal is projected to move to the opposition as he loses crucial parliamentary support.

Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, known as Prachanda, is poised for his fifth vote of confidence amid strong indications that he will lose the motion. Dahal, a former Maoist rebel who transitioned into mainstream politics after the political changes of 2006, has faced five confidence votes in less than 20 months in power.

The leading parties in Nepal's parliament, including the Nepali Congress (NC) and the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), have instructed their lawmakers to oppose the motion. The UML, the second-largest party in parliament with 78 seats, issued a whip to vote against Prachanda on Wednesday, highlighting his history of switching allegiances to stay in power.

The Nepali Congress, the oldest and largest party with 89 parliament seats, followed suit and issued a similar directive. With multiple parties forming a coalition against him, including the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Janamat Party, and Janata Samajbadi Party, Prachanda is set to confront a formidable opposition bloc of 206 votes. Despite having initially enjoyed substantial support, this internal party dynamics and shifting alliances have made his continued leadership uncertain.

(With inputs from agencies.)