Nepal PM quits

Oli

Giri Nepal’s K.P. Sharma Oli resigned as prime minister on Sunday, minutes before facing a no-confidence motion in parliament he was certain to lose, plunging the impoverished nation into fresh turmoil.

His political rivals, former Maoist rebels, called for the vote against Oli after they deserted his fragile ruling coalition, accusing him of reneging on past deals and following deadly unrest over a divisive new constitution.

“I have decided to open the road to elect a new prime minister in this parliament and presented my resignation to the president,” Oli told lawmakers who were set to vote on the no-confidence motion. In his speech, the embattled premier accused rival lawmakers of undermining his nine-month-old government, which he said was working to rebuild the Himalayan country after a devastating earthquake last year.

“I am concerned that the steps taken were driven by selfishness and revenge (and they) will cause a long-term negative impact and push the country to instability,” he said of the motion, during the nearly two-hour speech.

The no-confidence motion, lodged by former Maoist rebels who installed Oli in October but fell out with him after accusing him of failing to honour a power-sharing deal, is due to be put to a vote in the 595-member parliament later on Sunday. Nepal has been plagued by turmoil for years and the latest uncertainty over Oli’s fate risks the further sapping of business confidence. “We were left with no alternative because of the arrogance of the prime minister and his party,” Kiran Giri, a senior official of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) told Reuters, referring to party’s decision to abandon Oli’s coalition. (Agencies)