Nepal: President Bidya Devi Bhandari dissolves Parliament

Nepal: President Bidya Devi Bhandari dissolves Parliament

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epal President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Saturday dissolved the Parliament and fixed the date of general elections in November amid the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in the country. According to the Presidential statement, neither the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli nor the opposition leader Sher Bahadur Deuba were able to prove majority to form a new government by Friday, the deadline that was set by Ms Bhandari.

As per the Presidential statement that was issued after midnight, the President dissolved the House of Representatives. The statement read that the first phase of general elections will be held on November 12 and the second phase on November 19. The decision was taken on the recommendation of the Cabinet headed by caretaker Prime Minister Oli.

Prime Minister Oli had dissolved the Parliament in December 2020 that had sparked weeks of protests in the country. The Supreme Court had reversed the decision and had called it unconstitutional in February. However, the opposition said that Oli lost the vote of confidence this month and has no legal authority to recommend the dissolution of the Parliament. The decision comes at the time when the country is fighting with the deadly second wave of the pandemic.