On Monday, the Nepal Supreme Court reinstated the dissolved House of Representatives for the second time in five months and ordered to appoint Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba as the new Prime Minister of the country within two upcoming days.
This is a setback for Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who is currently heading a minority government after losing trust votes in the House.
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The hearing was concluded by a five-judge bench led by Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana. The bench comprised four other senior justices – Dipak Kumar Karki, Mira Khadka, Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada and Dr Ananda Mohan Bhattarai.
CPN-UML spokesmen and former foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali reacted to the SC’s decision and told the media organization that the order was unexpected and contrary to the fundamental principles of the Constitution of Nepal. He said, “Wrong and unjustified but will abide by it.”
Despite the uncertainty over the polls Nepal’s Election Commission last week announced the schedule for mid-term elections.
Nearly 30 petitions were filed against the dissolution of the House by the President. Nepal was into a political crisis on December 20, 2020, after President Bhandari dissolved the House and announced fresh elections.
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These fresh elections were scheduled on April 30, 2021, and May 10, 2021, at the recommendation of Prime Minister Oli, amid the tussle for power within the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP).
In February 2021, the apex court reinstated the dissolved House of Representatives even as Prime Minister Oli was preparing for snap polls. While defending his move to dissolve the House Oli said that some of his party members were attempting to form “a parallel government.”