Nepal's Supreme Court reinstates dissolved lower house

A lawyer says Nepal’s Supreme Court has reinstated the House of Representatives and upheld the leader of the opposition’s claim to be the new prime minister

Nepal Politics (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

A lawyer says Nepal’s Supreme Court has reinstated the House of Representatives and upheld the leader of the opposition's claim to be the new prime minister.

Monday’s court order removes Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli who had been running a caretaker government until planned elections, said Om Prakash Aryal, among the lawyers to file the petition at the court.

In May, Oli directed the president to dissolve the House of Representatives, Parliament s lower house, and announce new elections later this year. The decision was challenged in the Supreme Court by a coalition of opposition parties which said they had the support of a majority in Parliament to form a new government.

The Supreme Court also ruled Monday that the reinstated House of Representatives should meet within a week, when the leader of the main opposition party, Sher Bahadur Deuba, is expected to call a vote of confidence.

It is the second time the Supreme Court has reinstated the House of Representatives this year.