Political realignment in Nepal underway after PM Deuba's ordinance

The government of Prime Minister Deuba on August 18 passed an ordinance that allows split in a political party with the support of 20 percent central committee or parliamentary party members.

The Prime Minister of Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba has launched a silent campaign against former PM K. P. Sharma Oli that is fast reconfiguring the political set up in Nepal, said a leading member of Mr Oli's party, CPN-UML. The allegation by Dr Rajan Bhattarai, the chief of the foreign affairs cell of the party came on a day when Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale of Bharatiya Janata Party’s foreign affairs cell held extensive discussion on the changing political scenario of Nepal. "He has changed the rules of formation of Nepal’s political parties and helped Madhav Kumar Nepal in splitting away from CPN-UML. This was done to reduce the size and influence of our party which is the largest communist party of Nepal. This is aimed at strengthening the position of the government," said Rajan Bhattarai explaining that the move will have widespread ramification in Nepal’s political system. The government of Prime Minister Deuba on August 18 passed an ordinance that allows split in a political party with the support of 20 percent central committee or parliamentary party members. Earlier the requirement for registering a new party was support from 40 percent members of central committee or parliamentary party. The ordinance has benefited former PM Madhav Kumar Nepal who was among the main challengers against Mr Oli and created a series of political crises for Mr Oli that ultimately led to his dismissal by the Supreme Court of Nepal. Mr Nepal has formed a separate party. The ordinance is expected to reconfigure the setting of the political parties in Nepal and influence the equation between the government of Mr Deuba and the rest of the political class.