Nepal's opposition parties to move court against president's decision
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In a joint statement issued at the end of a meeting called to discuss the developments, the opposition leaders expressed their commitment to “defend the constitutional rights of Nepali citizens achieved at the end of years of political struggle.
A coalition of five Nepalese opposition political parties on Saturday decided to legally challenge President Bidya Devi Bhandari’s move to dissolve the Parliament on the recommendation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
Bhandari had earlier announced in a statement that the House of Representatives has been dissolved in accordance with Article 76 (7) of the Constitution,
The grouping of opposition parties includes Nepali Congress, CPN-Maoist Centre, Nepal-Khanal faction of CPN-UML, Upendra Yadav led faction of Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) and Rastriya Janamorcha Party (RJP). The parties have decided to move the court on Sunday with collective writ petitions against the "unconstitutional and undemocratic" move by the president and prime minister.
In a joint statement issued at the end of a meeting called to discuss the developments, the opposition leaders expressed their commitment to “defend the constitutional rights of Nepali citizens achieved at the end of years of political struggle.”
The statement was signed by Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN-Maoist Centre leader Prachanda, CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, JSP chair Upendra Yadav and leader of RJP.
Lawmakers of the coalition have decided to approach the Supreme Court to scrap the president’s decision.
Deuba claims to have support from all 61 candidates in his party, in addition to all 49 from CPN-Maoist Centre, 26 from Nepal-Khanal faction, 12 from Yadav faction and one from the Rastriya Janamorcha Party.
The Nepalese president dissolved the House of Representatives at midnight on Friday for the second time in five months and announced an early election in November, rejecting both Oli and the opposition alliance’s claims to form a government.
Meanwhile, PM Oli has urged the Election Commission to start the preparations for the mid-term election. While addressing a press conference earlier, Oli had said election could be held despite the pandemic. Nepal is fighting the deadly second wave of coronavirus and is reporting more than 8,000 new infections on a daily basis.