‘Unconstitutional’: Nepal’s eight major parties say president should reinstate dissolved parliament
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Unconstitutional’: Nepal’s eight major parties say president should reinstate dissolved parliament")
Protesters damaged public property and set several buildings ablaze in Nepal. Photograph: (AFP)
Interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki visited Civil Hospital in New Baneshwar on Saturday to meet individuals severely injured during the Gen Z protest earlier this week. She had also visited the National Trauma Centre to express concern for those undergoing treatment.
The eight major political parties in Nepal have rejected the dissolution of the parliament as unconstitutional and a breach of parliamentary tradition and demanded that President Ram Chandra Poudel reinstate the House he dissolved after deadly anti-corruption protests. In a duly signed statement, eight parties, including the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, and Maoist Centre, said President Ram Chandra Poudel had acted unconstitutionally.
Poudel dissolved the House of Representatives on Friday night on the recommendation of the newly appointed interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki. The dissolution of the parliament was also a key demand of the Gen Z protest movement.
The statement demanding the reinstatement of the parliament was signed by the respective chief whips of the eight political parties that were represented in Nepal’s dissolved House of Representatives, said a Kathmandu Post report.
They argued that the dissolution step taken by the president was unconstitutional and against the precedents set by Nepal’s judiciary.
‘Move undermines people’s mandate’
In a joint statement, the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Centre), CPN (Unified Socialist), Janata Samajbadi Party, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party, Nepal Workers and Peasants Party, and Janamat Party demanded that the decision be reversed immediately. They said the move undermined the supremacy of the constitution and devalued the people’s mandate.
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
The statement from the eight parties cited Article 76(7) of the constitution and past Supreme Court rulings, saying the president’s step violated established constitutional practice.
“This move not only undermines the people’s mandate but also strikes at the very supremacy of the constitution,” the statement said.
The parties warned that Nepal’s hard-won democracy, established through years of struggle and codified by the Constituent Assembly in the 2015 republican constitution, could not tolerate such moves.
Make upcoming elections a success: President
President Ramchandra Paudel has appealed to all sides to support the process of holding the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5.
The statement came after eight political parties issued a statement and demanded the restoration of the dissolved House of Representatives.
President Paudel issued a statement on Saturday evening and appealed all concerned to take advantage of this hard-earned opportunity with wisdom, win the hearts of the people, and contribute to the successful conduct of the upcoming election scheduled for March 5, 2026.
WATCH: Germany Dispatches 2000 Soldiers to Lithuania as NATO Bolsters Its Eastern Flank
“After tremendous efforts during a very difficult, complex, and fearful situation in the country, a peaceful resolution has been found. The constitution has been preserved, the parliamentary system has been upheld, and the federal democratic republic remains intact,” President Paudel said.
The Gen Z-led protests that brought down KP Sharma Oli’s government were triggered by a ban on social media platforms and anger over corruption, abuse of authority, and misuse of money from the state coffers.
The unrest left at least 51 people dead and more than 1,300 injured, prompting a nationwide curfew before the presidential intervention.
