Nepal’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, February 23, 2021, ordered the reinstatement of the Parliament dissolved by Prime Minister Oli, which is likely to push the Himalayan nation towards a political crisis.
Kathmandu, Nepal: Nepal’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Parliament to be reinstated, as it was dissolved by the Prime Minister, with the possibility of pushing the Himalayan nation into a political crisis.
The order came in response to several cases alleging in the court that Prime Minister Khad Prasad Oli’s decision to dissolve the legislature was unconstitutional. The court said that the sitting parliament should be called within 13 days.
The order would cause political trouble for Ollie as he would not have the majority of votes in a restored parliament.
Since the dissolution of Parliament in December, street protests against Oli have been held regularly by thousands in Kathmandu and other cities.
Oli decided to dissolve the parliament and hold fresh elections due to the growing conflict within his governing Nepal Communist Party.
He became Prime Minister after the party won the election three years ago. Oli’s party and the party of former Maoist rebels formed a strong communist party to win the election.
However, there has been a power struggle between Oli and former Maoist rebel leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is also the party’s co-chairman. The two had previously agreed that they would split the Prime Minister’s term between the two, but Ollie refused to take over Dahal.
A splinter group led by Dahal is organizing street protests and his supporters are among those who have filed cases in the Supreme Court.
Other opposition parties have repeatedly accused Oli’s government of corruption, and his administration has faced criticism for dealing with Coronavirus.
Oli has also been accused of running away from power since moving closer to China and away from Nepal’s traditional partner India. This has caused problems between India and Nepal.