Nepal PM Sher Bahadur Deuba sworn in for fifth time; forms 5 member Cabinet

Nepal’s Opposition Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba on July 13 was sworn in as the Prime Minister for the fifth time months after the Southeast Asian country’s top court ousted the former PM KP Sharma Oli. Newly sworn-in Deuba also formed a small 5 member cabinet, according to ANI. The Nepal parliament was dissolved in May by ex-PM Oli after he was removed as Chairman of ruling NCP over allegations of corruption, mishandling of COVID-19, and tensions with the party of former Maoist rebels Pushpa Kamal Dahal, with whom he had merged to form a unified Communist Party. 

Following months of political turmoil, Deuba was sworn into office as Nepal’s newly elected PM on Tuesday, just a day after the Supreme Court reinstated the parliament. The former won the support of 149 of the total 275-seat in the lower house. “I, in the name of God, the country and people, pledge that I will be committed and honest to the nation and its people to fulfill my duty as prime minister,” the 74-year-old leader said in the oath-taking ceremony as he assumed office.

A vote of confidence will be held in the lower house of the parliament in approximately 7 days as announced by Nepal’s Supreme court that gave orders to the Nepali President Bidhya Devi Bhandari to appoint Deuba as Oli’s successor. 

Needs majority votes to survive as PM

Even though the Supreme Court order has paved the way for Deuba to become the new prime minister, he will still have to secure majority votes to survive as the PM for the remaining term of the parliament. It is worth noting that Deuba is short of a majority as the rival fiction of CPN-UML has backed off. The rival faction of ruling CPN-UML under the leadership of Madhav Kumar Nepal has separated itself from the alliance formed to fight against caretaker PM Oli.

The two factions in the UML - one led by Oli and the other by Madhav Kumar reached a 10-point agreement to bury their hatchet. After Monday's verdict, the Madhav Kumar faction then announced to unify with the party ending the earlier formed alliance. Now, with the breaking of the rival faction of CPN-UML, the largest seat holder in parliament, the fate of the vote of confidence for to-be-appointed PM Sher Bahadur Deuba remains uncertain.