In Nepal’s volatile politics making new alliances or shuffling the pack of probable allies has become so common place that the victory of the Maoist Prime Minister Pushpa Kumar Dahal, in a vote of confidence recently, is not surprising. But, its importance lies in the fact that it marks a critical juncture in the nation’s search for some stable and effective governance. The recent events leading up to the vote of confidence for the new Prime Minister of the Himalayan nation have captured the attention for the intricate dynamics that is at play in the country’s political landscape.
Dahal had ended his year-long partnership with the Nepali Congress and formed a new alliance with his foe-turned-friend the CPN-UML chairman KP Sharma Oli. He also made sure his victory by enlisting the support of a few small parties and then sought a vote of confidence. The results were predictably in his favour, but they show the uneasiness that political parties are feeling in extending their support to Dahal who has been changing his allies too frequently that betrayed a scandalous disregard for ideology and lust for power.
Also Read
He secured a majority, but the level of support has remarkably declined. In January, 2023 Dahal had obtained 268 votes followed by 172 in March the same year. His latest tally has dipped further to 157 and that too with some difficulty. A total of 268 lawmakers were present during voting in the House of Representatives and 110 lawmakers voted against him while a member abstained. The PM required at least 138 votes to win the trust motion.
Ahead of the vote of confidence, some leaders from the ruling alliance expressed their dissatisfaction at the recent political changes and Dahal’s repeated changes of stance over the past 14 months. This all the more indicates the difficulty ahead for Dahal which will demand more of his skill in managing his coalition partners and their frustrations. Only a few parties in the ruling alliance, like the Rastriya Swatantra Party, and some independent lawmakers supported the prime minister’s bid without putting forth critical views.
Dahal had blamed the Nepali Congress for the end of their year-old partnership. The main reasons put forward by him for severing his ties with the latter include not getting enough support from the party to improve service delivery and performance. It may sound ironic, but Dahal repeatedly used the term ‘betrayal’ to describe the Nepali Congress.
Since its transition from monarchy to a republic in 2008, Nepal has been plagued by frequent changes in government, often fuelled by factionalism, allegations of corruption and ideological differences among political parties. Against this backdrop, the appointment of the new prime minister offers both an opportunity and a challenge for Nepal. The country is facing huge economic problems and is getting aid to tide over their difficulties from both India and China which are driven by their respective geopolitical considerations. In fact, China’s contributions to Nepal during the past few years have far outstripped those of India. That is why Oli has emerged as a China backer, while Dahal is known for his closeness to India.
Frequent change of government or political realignments is not the answer to Nepal’s problems of poverty and poor healthcare system. All these political manoeuvrings are predicted to inflict grievous damage to the economic growth of this Himalayan country.
