Nepal House summoned by President on March 7

PM Oli’s move to dissolve the House sparked protests from a large section of the NCP led by his rival Pushpa Kamal Dahal

Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli: File Picture

PTI   |   Kathmandu   |  02.03.21  :  Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Monday summoned a session of the House of Representatives on March 7, days after the apex court reinstated the lower house in a landmark verdict that annulled Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli’s “unconstitutional” decision to dissolve it.

President Bhandari called for the commencement of the House on the recommendation of the government of Nepal, in accordance with the Article 93 (1) of the Constitution of Nepal, according to a notice issued by the President’s Office on Monday.

As per the notice, the 275-member lower house will begin at 4pm (local time) on March 7.

The presidential order to summon the House meeting follows the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Prime Minister Oli’s move to dissolve the House on December 20.

A five-member constitutional bench led by Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher last week annulled the Oli government’s “unconstitutional” decision to dissolve the lower house of parliament.

The court had ordered the government to summon the House session within the next 13 days.

Nepal plunged into a political crisis on December 20 after President Bhandari dissolved the House and announced fresh elections on April 30 and May 10 on the recommendation of Oli, amidst a tussle for power within the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP).

Oli’s move to dissolve the House sparked protests from a large section of the NCP led by his rival Pushpa Kamal Dahal, alias Prachanda, also a co-chair of the ruling party.

As many as 13 writ petitions including the one by the ruling party’s chief whip Dev Prasad Gurung were filed in the apex court seeking the restoration of the lower house parliament. The ruling party suffered a vertical split. Oli on Sunday challenged the faction  to remove him from the top post if he can.