© Reuters. Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal (also known as Prachanda) speaks before a vote of confidence in the parliament in Kathmandu, Nepal on January 10, 2023. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar
gopal sharma
KATHMANDU (Reuters) – Nepal’s ruling coalition was thrown into chaos on Saturday after the prime minister revealed plans to back an opposition presidential candidate.
Political analysts say the move is imminent as the fledgling government of former Maoist rebel and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, nicknamed Gele Prachanda, still holds majority support in parliament. He said it did not imply that he had a problem. However, they said the turmoil could lead to the formation of new coalitions.
Prachanda said on Friday that he would support Ram Chandra Paudel of the opposition Nepalese parliamentary party in next month’s presidential election, rather than the candidate of his coalition partner, the United Marxist-Leninist (UML) Party. The Nepalese Parliamentary Party is a former ally of Prachanda’s Maoist Center Party, but he did not give a reason for his decision.
On Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister Rajendra Linden, who was also Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, resigned in protest along with Minister for Urban Development and Justice, and Linden’s Assistant Secretary also resigned.
“The coalition we joined in government is no longer intact,” Linden told Reuters, adding: “It is not appropriate for them to remain in government.”
Prachanda’s office confirmed that the four ministers had resigned, but did not specify whether their resignations had been accepted.
Nepal is set to elect its third president on March 9.
Located between China and India, Nepal has 11 governments after becoming a republic in 2008 after abolishing a 239-year-old monarchy.
Political instability scares investors and hinders the growth of the $40 billion economy.