The Supreme Court on Monday quashed Prime Minister Oli’s May 21 decision to dissolve the House of Representatives and ordered the appointment of Deuba as the prime minister.
Sher Bahadur Deuba takes oath as Prime Minister (PTI)
After the intervention of the Supreme Court, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba on Tuesday officially became the Prime Minister of the country for the fifth time. President Vidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 75-year-old senior political leader at the swearing-in ceremony in Kathmandu. Initially, the ceremony was to be held at 6 pm (6:45 IST) but it was delayed because Deuba said he would not take the oath of office until the President amends his notice of appointment.
In its order, a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Cholendra Shamsher Rana had said that Deuba should be appointed as the Prime Minister under Article 76(5) of the Constitution. ‘The Himalaya Times’ reported that the President’s Office had not disclosed the article under which Deuba is being made the Prime Minister. According to the newspaper, after taking legal advice, Deuba sent a message to President Bhandari that he would not take oath until the error was rectified.
Four new ministers also took oath
The notice was amended by the President’s Office, two hours after which the swearing-in ceremony was held at around 8.15 pm. Four new ministers have also taken oath along with Deuba, including two members each from the Nepali Congress (NC) and the CPN-Maoist Centre. NC’s Balkrishna Khand and Gyanendra Bahadur Karki have been sworn in as Home Minister and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister respectively. Pampha Bhushal and Janardan Sharma from the Maoist Center have been appointed as the Minister of Energy and the Minister of Finance respectively.
Chief Justice Rana, CPN-Maoist Center President Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and senior CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal were also present on the occasion. This is the fifth time that Deuba has returned to power as the Prime Minister of Nepal. He replaces 69-year-old K P Sharma Oli who has accused the top court of “deliberately” passing the verdict in favor of the opposition parties.
Deuba became prime minister for the fifth time
Earlier in the day, President Bhandari’s personal secretary Bahesh Raj Adhikari told reporters, “As per the Supreme Court’s decision, President Bhandari has nominated Deuba as the prime minister.” Prior to this, Deuba has been Prime Minister four times – the first time September 1995 – March 1997, the second time July 2001 – October 2002, the third time June 2004 – February 2005 and the fourth time from June 2017 – February 2018 -. Deuba will have to seek a vote of confidence in the House within 30 days of his appointment as prime minister under the constitutional provision.
The Supreme Court on Monday quashed Prime Minister Oli’s May 21 decision to dissolve the House of Representatives and ordered the appointment of Deuba as prime minister. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Cholendra Shamsher Rana had said that Oli’s claim to the post of prime minister was unconstitutional.
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