Kathmandu : Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has secured the vote of confidence for the fourth time amidst protests from the meeting of the House of Representatives today.

In the 275-member House of Representatives, 157 lawmakers gave the vote of confidence to Prime Minister Prachanda while Prem Suwal of Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP) remained neutral.

Lawmakers of opposition parties including Nepali Congress (NC), Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), Janata Samajbadi Party, Nepal (JSP-N), Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP) kept shouting slogans throughout the process and did not participate in the vote of confidence.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire announced that 157 members of parliaments voted for the motion floated by Prime Minister Prachanda while one MP remained neutral. “Prime Minister Prachanda secured the vote of confidence since it is the majority of the sitting numbers of MPs,” said Speaker Ghimire.

Prime Minister Prachanda took the vote of confidence in the HoR meeting today in line with Article 100 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal. A total of 158 MPs took part in the vote of confidence. 

Lawmakers of opposition parties including Nepali Congress (NC), Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), Janata Samajbadi Party, Nepal (JSP-N), Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP) kept shouting slogans throughout the process and did not participate in the vote of confidence. 

Prachanda who was appointed as the Prime Minister of Nepal on December 25, 2022, took the vote of confidence for the first time on January 10, 2023. Out of 270 lawmakers who were present in the meeting, 268 lawmakers had given the vote of confidence to Prachanda.

Similarly, Prachanda took the vote of confidence on March 20, 2023 for the second time. Out of 262 lawmakers who turned up in the meeting, Prachanda received votes of 172 lawmakers. Similarly, on March 13, 2024, Prachanda took the vote of confidence for the third with the support of 157 lawmakers. 

Prime Minister took the vote of confidence today after Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Upendra Yadav, the chairman of Janata Samajbadi Party, Nepal, pulled out of the incumbent government. JSP-N withdrew its support to the government on May 13.

A provision has it that, the Prime Minister has to take the vote of confidence within 30 days when a party involved in the government pulls out of it or withdraws support to it.