Sher Bahadur Deuba wins vote of confidence, to be Nepal's Prime Minister for next one and a half years

The new Prime Minister of Nepal, Sher Bahadur Deuba in a surprise move on July 18, 2021, sought a vote of confidence in the reinstated Lower House of Representatives and also, comfortably won it. The step by the new PM of Nepal has averted the general election in the Himalayan nation amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The President of the Nepali Congress Sher Bahadur Deuba who took an oath as the new Prime Minister of Nepal on July 13, 2021, after the Supreme Court intervention, was able to secure 165 votes in the 276 member house on July 18. 

Deuba required a total of 136 votes to win Parliament's confidence. The new Prime Minister had to seek a trust vote within one month after being appointed for the position. However, in a surprise move, Deuba sought a vote of confidence on the first day of reinstated house.  

Prime Minister Modi also congratulated Sher Bahadur Deuba on his success.

Congratulations Prime Minister @DeubaSherbdr and best wishes for a successful tenure. I look forward to working with you to further enhance our unique partnership in all sectors, and strengthen our deep-rooted people-to-people ties.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 18, 2021

The Supreme Court of Nepal on July 12, 2021, had ordered Deuba's appointment for the position while also reinstating the House of Representatives which was dissolved by the former PM K P Sharma Oli. 

Supreme Court's order to appoint new PM

After months of power tussle in Nepal, Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli was finally grounded on July 12, 2021, as the country's Supreme Court, in a landmark verdict, directed President Bidya Devi Bhandari to appoint Nepali Congress Chief Sher Bahadur Deuba as the Prime Minister of the country by July 13.

The apex court also reinstated the dissolved House of Representatives for the second time in 5 months. The verdict was issued by a 5-member constitutional bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana.

The verdict of Nepal’s Supreme court had delivered a major blow to the veteran Communist leader Oli who was preparing for snap polls. The five-member bench issued a mandamus to appoint Sher Bahadur Deuba as the Prime Minister by July 13, 2021.

What was the verdict of Nepal’s Supreme Court?

A 5-member constitutional bench of the apex Court which was led by Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana issued the verdict stating that the decision of President Bhandari of dissolving the lower house upon the recommendation of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli was an unconstitutional act.

The court also ordered summoning a new session of the House of Representatives at 5 PM on July 18, 2021.

Chief Justice Rana stated that the party whip does not apply when lawmakers take part in the voting to elect the new Prime Minister as per Article 76 (5) of the Constitution.

The bench comprised of four other senior-most justices- Mira Khadka, Dipak Kumar Karki, Dr Ananda Mohan Bhattarai, and Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada- concluded the hearings in the case last week.

Mid-term elections led to Supreme Court’s verdict:

The 275-member lower house was dissolved by President Bidya Devi Bhandari for the second time in 5 months on May 22, 2021, at the recommendation of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.

Snap elections were announced on November 12 and November 19 and the schedule for the mid-term elections was announced by the Election Commission despite the uncertainty over polls.

Who is Sher Bahadur Deuba?

• Sher Bahadur Deuba is a Nepalese politician and is soon going to be the new Prime Minister of Nepal as per the Supreme Court Order.

• Deuba had served as the Prime Minister on four other occasions; from 1995 to 1997, from 2001 to 2002, then from 2004 to 2005, and from 2017 to 2018.

• Since 1991, Sher Bahadur Deuba has been a Member of Parliament for Dadeldhura-1.

• Deuba is also the current President of the Nepali Congress, having been elected to the position since 2016.

Nepal Political Crisis: Background

Nepal had plunged into a political crisis on December 20, 2020, after President Bidya Devi Bhandari had dissolved the lower house. She also announced the fresh elections on April 30 and May 10, 2021, at the recommendations of Prime Minister Oli, amidst a tussle for power within the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP).

However, on February 23, 2021, the Supreme Court reinstated the dissolved House of Representatives, in a setback to embattled Prime Minister Oli who was preparing for the snap polls in April and May.

K P Sharma Oli, who has been currently heading a minority government after losing a trust vote in the House, has defended his move repeatedly to dissolve the House of Representatives. He claimed that some leaders of his party were attempting to form a parallel government.