Kathmandu, July 15 (EFE).- The leader of Nepal’s largest communist party, Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, was sworn in as the country’s new prime minister on Monday.
President Ram Chandra Paudel administered the oath of office and secrecy to Oli and the newly appointed ministers of the 22-member cabinet at the president’s residence in Sheetal Niwas, Kathmandu.
This is Oli’s fourth stint as the country’s prime minister.
Following Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s failure to secure a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives on Friday, President Paudel invited political parties to form a new government.
Oli, with his new coalition partner Sher Bahadur Deuba, chairman of Nepali Congress, reached the President’s office to stake claim to become the prime minister.
Oli secured the support of 166 lawmakers, including 88 from the Nepali Congress.
The minimum number needed to form a government is 138 in the 275-member lower house.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Oli on his appointment.
“Congratulations @kpsharmaoli, on your appointment as the Prime Minister of Nepal. Look forward to working closely to strengthen further the deep bonds of friendship between our two countries and to further expand our mutually beneficial cooperation for the progress and prosperity of our peoples,” Modi said on X.
Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Nepal Dean R. Thompson also extended his congratulations to the prime minister.
«We look forward to working with the new Government of Nepal to further strengthen our 77-year partnership,» he wrote on X. EFE
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