Nepal's caretaker PM Oli calls Constitutional Council meet as 3 former PMs lead protest

Nepal's caretaker Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Wednesday morning called a meeting of the Constitutional Council, which comes after students protesting against the Parliament dissolution clashed with police near the Federal Parliament of Nepal in Kathmandu on Monday. All Nepal National Free Student Union (ANNFSU) members of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) had brawled with police after attempting to organize a flash mob in front of Parliament in Kathmandu.

On Sunday, three former Prime Ministers participated in a sit-in-protest to oppose the recent dissolution of the Parliament. Former Prime Ministers Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Madhav Kumar Nepal, and Jhalanath Khanal took to the streets of Kathmandu to call on the caretaker PM KP Sharma Oli to reinstate the Parliament. This comes after Oli on December 20 dissolved the Nepal Parliament and announced fresh elections in April and May. 

The Constitutional Council of Nepal is headed by the Prime Minister and includes the Chief Justice, speaker, chairperson of the National Assembly, leader of the opposition, and the deputy speaker as its members. The council makes recommendations for the key appointments of officials to various constitutional bodies.

READ | Former Nepal PMs Protest Against Oli's Move To Dissolve Parliament

Prime Minister Oli, 68, had dissolved the Nepal Parliament on December 20, amidst a political tussle with Nepal Communist Party (NCP) leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'. Last week, Oli was expelled from the general membership of the NCP, amid increasing political unrest following his decision to dissolve the lower house. According to the rival faction's spokesperson Narayankaji Shrestha, PM Oli no longer remains a member of the party.

Prior to the dissolution of the parliament, the ruling NCP had been struggling to keep the flock together with several factions formed within the party. NCP came into being after Oli and Dahal merged their respective parties into one entity following the 2017 national elections. Though Oli emerged as the most popular leader, his party was short of the majority required to form a government. Oli and Dahal, whose party was third in the elections, agreed to form an alliance based on a power-sharing agreement. 

READ | Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli Expelled From Ruling Communist Party Over Dissolution Of Parliament

Cases of contempt of court filed against PM Oli

On January 29, the Supreme Court of Nepal ordered caretaker Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to appear before it with a written response to the cases of contempt of court filed against him. Two separate cases of contempt of court were filed against Oli at the Apex court on Tuesday, for his alleged remarks on 95-year-old senior advocate Krishna Prasad Bhandari, calling him "a grandpa lawyer". Meanwhile, Nepal's apex court has also ordered four former chief justices and one former speaker of Parliament to be present in court on separate cases of contempt of court. The former chief justices facing the contempt charges are Anup Raj Sharma, Meen Bahadur Rayamajhi, Sushila Karki, and Kalyan Shrestha. Former speaker Daman Nath Dhungana faces the same charge.

READ | KP Oli's Troubles Mount; Nepal's Supreme Court Summons Caretaker PM In Contempt Case

READ | Now Nepal's Caretaker PM, Contempt Cases In Supreme Court Over KP Oli's Disparaging Remark