Deuba takes oath as Nepal PM day after apex court verdict
KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba on Tuesday took the oath of office and secrecy from President Bidya Devi Bhandari, a day after the Supreme Court overturned Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s May 21 decision to dissolve the House of Representatives.
The ceremony, initially set to be held at 6:00 pm (17:45 IST), was delayed after Deuba said he would not take the oath of office until the President revises the notice of his appointment.
A five-member Constitutional Bench led by Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana, in its order, said that Deuba must be appointed the Prime Minister in line with Article 76 (5) of the Constitution.
However, the president’s office has failed to disclose the article under which Deuba is being made the prime minister in the notice, local media reported.
Deuba is required to seek a vote of confidence from the House within 30 days of his appointment as the Prime Minister, as per the constitutional provisions.
The new leader’s immediate task is to procure Covid-19 vaccines and control the spread of the coronavirus that has infected more than 658,000 people and killed nearly 10,000 of them - figures experts say fail to reflect the true toll.
“The biggest challenge of the new leader is to free every citizen from suffering from COVID-19 by inoculating them,” said Prakash Sharan Mahat, a senior leader of Deuba’s party.
The Supreme Court on Monday overturned Prime Minister Oli’s May 21 decision to dissolve the House of Representatives and ordered the appointment of Deuba as prime minister.
The Constitutional Bench said that Oli’s claim to the post of PM was unconstitutional.
Oli on Tuesday, however, accused the Supreme Court of “deliberately” passing a verdict in favour of the Opposition parties. Addressing the nation, the 69-year old also underlined that despite being “the people’s choice”, he is resigning from the post as the apex court has given an order to appoint Deuba as the prime minister in his place.
He said the court’s “misinterpretation” of Article 76 (5) is sure to lead the country toward a party-less system. “It is sure to ignite malpractices and deteriorate discipline. The court has crossed its jurisdiction and decided over political matters,” Oli said.