Butwal, May 9
Seven days after his reappointment, Gandaki Chief Minister Shanakar Pokhrel has faced a no-confidence motion again.
As many as 40 lawmakers representing the Nepali Congress, CPN-Maoist Centre, and the Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal have filed the motion claiming Pokhrel apparently does not have a support of the majority in the Provincial Assembly. They have proposed the Maoist Centre’s Kul Prasad KC again as the next chief minister.
Faquaruddin Khan, the chief whip of the Nepal Congress provincial parliamentary party, says the opposition parties will appeal to Governor Dharma Nath Yadav to summon a session of the assembly to discuss the motion as soon as possible.
The constitution has it that a chief minister cannot be challenged with a no-confidence motion within the first two years of the appointment and within one year since the failure of a motion. However, the parties have filed the motion claiming Pokhrel’s appointment last week itself was not constitutionally acceptable.
On May 2, Pokhrel had resigned from the position after a no-confidence motion was filed against him. However, he then claimed his party commands the majority in the assembly and got appointed amid the opposition’s countering claim.
