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Nepal’s Khadga Oli has been sworn in as Prime Minister on Monday after his Communist Party forged a coalition government with the centre-left Nepali Congress.
Oli, who is the chief of the second-largest party in the parliament, the Communist Party of Nepal – Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), returns as prime minister for the fourth time.
In his acceptance speech, Oli said, “I, KP Sharma Oli, in the name of the country and people, pledge that I will be loyal to the constitution… and fulfil my duty as the prime minister.”
President Ram Poudel administered the oath of office.
First elected as prime minister in 2015, Oli was reelected in 2018 with a rare majority government and then reappointed briefly in 2021.
His predecessor and former coalition government ally, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, lost a vote of confidence on Friday, barely 18 months after taking office.
Dahal, a former Maoist guerrilla commander better known by his nom de guerre Prachanda (“The Fierce One”), was forced to step down after Oli’s party withdrew its support.
Oli instead forged a deal with Sher Bahadur Deuba of the Nepali Congress.
