[The prime minister dissolved the
lower house of Parliament, throwing into doubt the political fortunes of the
Himalayan country, which has long swung between Beijing and New Delhi.]
By Bhadra
Sharma
The prime minister, K.P. Sharma
Oli, called for the dissolution of the lower house of Parliament despite
protests from his own Nepal Communist Party and opposition groups, including
the largest, Nepali Congress. Nepal is now set to hold elections starting in
late April, more than a year earlier than the expected vote in November 2022.
Mr. Oli made his move in the face
of rising dissatisfaction with his job performance even within the ranks of his
own party. He was
elected to a second stint as prime minister in 2017 on promises of
tamping down corruption and forging stronger ties with China and its economic
growth machine.
But Mr. Oli’s administration has
been plagued with its own corruption allegations as well as criticism of his
government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has devastated
an economy that has long depended on tourism and on remittances from
its citizens abroad. Divisions also lingered within his party, which was
created by the alliance of two smaller communist parties in 2017.
By dissolving the lower house of
Parliament, Mr. Oli might avoid a potential no-confidence vote from lawmakers.
But experts said that he lacked the power to dissolve Parliament and that the
move could be challenged in Nepal’s highest court.
“Under existing constitutional
provisions dissolution of Parliament can’t be the prime minister’s prerogative
when there are many other options to form a new government,” said Bipin
Adhikari, former dean of Kathmandu University Law School and a constitutional
expert. “It’s an unconstitutional step.”
The political turbulence in Nepal
is taking place amid rising tensions between China and India, its two powerful
and increasingly bellicose neighbors. Their rivalry has intensified as China
has made increasingly
forceful claims toward disputed land along their rugged border in the
Himalayas.
Those tensions came to a boil in
June, when unarmed troops from both countries clashed
in violence that killed 20 Indian soldiers and an undisclosed number
on the Chinese side. Though the two sides have
pledged to ease tensions, the rivalry could provide an opportunity for the
United States to
build stronger ties with India once Joseph R. Biden assumes the
presidency, possibly giving it a greater role in American efforts to check
China’s moves to increase its sway in the region.
Nepal has long swung between
favoring one country or the other. It has extensive economic ties with India,
where many of its people work, and like India has a majority Hindu population.
But relations have soured in recent years.
In 2015, India imposed a
monthslong unofficial blockade against Nepal over a new constitution
adopted after a bloody Maoist insurgency, and many in Nepal believed the move
stemmed from New Delhi’s feeling that it should have been more involved in the
drafting. Last year, some people in Nepal blamed
India for building embankments that worsened flooding on the Nepal
side of the border.
As tensions with New Delhi rose,
Beijing moved in. China has pumped
money into Nepal which it sees as crucial to its efforts to build
influence in the region. That campaign got a boost in 2017, when the communists
won election.
The current turmoil throws those
gains into doubt.
Mr. Oli on Sunday urged Bidya Devi
Bhandari, Nepal’s president and ceremonial head of state, to dissolve the House
of Representatives. Ms. Bhandari granted the request and called for elections
in May.
Mr. Oli’s move effectively blocked
his former political partner, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, from threatening his
position. Mr. Dahal, a former prime minister known as Prachanda, is chairman of
the Communist Party and was instrumental in forming the alliance that carried
the group to victory in 2017. The two parties later merged, and party officials
agreed that Mr. Dahal would eventually share power, according to an agreement
disclosed when Mr. Oli was about to complete two years in office.
Lawmakers had proposed a motion to
hold a vote of no confidence that would call on Mr. Dahal to become prime
minister. On Sunday, seven of the government’s 25 ministers resigned from
Parliament in protest.
Nepal, one of the poorest countries
in South Asia, is still struggling with the pandemic. Official figures suggest
the coronavirus is under control. But testing remains spotty, global mountain
climbers are staying home and Nepal’s migrant workers are jobless in many
places around the world.
Mr. Oli’s administration was
further shaken by a lack of progress in fulfilling its campaign goals. Despite
promises to link Nepal’s rail system with China’s, they remain unconnected. It
has also been rocked by corruption allegations against the communications and information
technology minister and the health minister.
An opposition leader, Ramesh
Paudyal of the party Bibeksheel Nepali accused the health minister,
Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal, of being involved in corruption while procuring medical
equipment from China to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Activists and
local news outlets said the price of some medical equipment procured from China
was much higher than market prices. Nepal’s anti-corruption agency has been
investigating the matter. The government has disputed the allegations.
Should Mr. Oli fall, China would
lose a friend. Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, paid a high-profile visit last
year. Mr. Oli has made an effort to show his sympathy to Beijing by organizing
training on Xi Jinping Thought, as the Chinese leader’s instructions are
called, and jointly announcing a
new height for Mount Everest.
“Oli wasn’t an acceptable
prime minister for India,” said Mr. Adhikari, the constitutional expert, who
added, “The next prime minister could be more India-friendly than Oli.”
