Leader of Nepal's largest communist party named new prime minister
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Leader of Nepal's largest communist party named new prime minister
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — The leader of the Nepal’s largest communist party, Khadga Prasad Oli, was named the Himalayan nation’s new prime minister on Sunday following the collapse of a previous coalition government.
A statement issued by the president’s office said Oli will take his oath of office on Monday.
A veteran politician and three-time prime minister, Oli will be leading a coalition government made up of his Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) and the Nepali Congress party, the two largest parties in Nepal.
The last government headed by Pushpa Kamal Dahal collapsed on Friday after Oli’s party, which had been a part of the coalition, withdrew its support to join the new partnership.
Oli would have to seek vote of confidence in parliament to continue in office within a month. The two parties in the new alliance have more than half the members in parliament required to prove their majority.
Oli’s biggest challenge as prime minister will be balancing Nepal’s relationship with its giant neighbors India and China, as both seek to wield influence over the small nation. Landlocked Nepal is surrounded by India on three sides and imports all of its oil and most supplies from India. It also shares a border with China.
