KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Nepal’s new prime minister got the support of more than half the members of the House of Representatives, which would allow him to continue in power until general elections scheduled for next year.
Sher Bahadur Deuba got 165 votes in his favor while 83 members of parliament’s lower house voted against him Sunday, Speaker Agni Sapkota announced.
This is Deuba’s fifth time as prime minister of the Himalayan nation, which is currently struggling with political divisions and the coronavirus. The leader of the Nepali Congress party — the country’s oldest political party — was appointed Tuesday after the Supreme Court reinstated the House of Representatives and upheld his claim to be the new leader.
A court order on Monday had ousted Khadga Prasad Oli, who had been running a caretaker government until planned elections in November this year.
Deuba was previously appointed prime minister in 1995, 2001, 2004 and 2017, but has never served a full term. This time, as well, he is to serve only until parliamentary elections are held by 2022.
He is likely to bring Nepal back closer to India after Oli favored ties with its other giant neighbor, China.
Deuba has been active in politics since he was a college student. He was jailed for nine years for protesting against the now-deposed monarchy’s autocratic rule.