Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, a former Maoist insurgent, won a vote of confidence in Parliament on Wednesday, his third in 15 months since gaining office.
Dahal, also known as Prachanda, which means “fierce,” dissolved his year-long alliance with the Nepali Congress party, the largest group in parliament, on March 4 and joined forces with the Communist Party of Nepal, the second-largest party led by Khadga Prasad Oli.
According to Nepal’s constitution, the prime minister must seek a vote of confidence in parliament when a coalition partner withdraws its support.
The prime minister required 138 votes in the 275-member parliament to win the trust motion.
Dahal received 157 votes, according to Speaker, Dev Raj Ghimire.
Some 110 lawmakers voted against the motion while a member abstained.
The speaker said 268 lawmakers were present during the trust vote.
Dahal has thus secured a vote of trust in parliament for the third time since assuming office in December 2022 by forming a ruline coalition with the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist).
His first floor test took place on Jan. 10, 2023, where he secured 268 votes.
Three months later, he faced a second trust vote after severing ties with the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and forming an alliance with the Nepali Congress in March last year, during which he received 172 votes.
