Key coalition partner withdraws support for Nepal government

KATHMANDU, Nepal – A key coalition partner in Nepal’s government withdrew its support Tuesday, accusing the prime minister of failing to honour past agreements, but an official said the politically unstable nation’s leader would not immediately resign.

Krishna Bahadur Mahara of the Maoist party said the party was pulling all of its ministers out of the coalition and would attempt to form a national government headed by its own party leader.

Mahara said the decision was made by the party after repeated calls for Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli to honour their agreements, and following a meeting between Maoist party leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Oli on Monday night.

The prime minister’s press adviser, Pramod Dahal, said Oli would not resign immediately despite losing support and would face a confidence vote in parliament if necessary.

With the Maoist party withdrawing, Oli does not have a majority vote in parliament. It could take weeks for a new coalition government to be agreed upon by the political parties.

A change in government is nothing new in Nepal, with Oli the eighth prime minister to assume office in the past 10 years.

The Maoist party is second-largest group in the coalition government, which assumed power last October.

The Maoists are former communist rebels who fought government troops for 10 years until they joined a U.N.-monitored peace agreement and entered mainstream politics. They had a key role in the abolishing of Nepal’s centuries-old monarchy, turning the Himalayan nation into a republic.