Nepal Pm to step down despite court defeat

Kathmandu, 24/2: Nepal’s embattled prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, will not resign but let parliament decide his fate instead, an aide said on Wednesday, a day after the Supreme Court rejected his decision to dissolve the legislature and call early elections.

The nation has been in political turmoil since December, when Oli suddenly dissolved parliament and announced the elections, citing a lack of cooperation on key policy issues by leaders of a rival faction of his ruling party.

Oli, 69, has begun meeting allies in the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) to review the situation after the court held parliament’s abrupt dissolution unconstitutional and ordered it to be called into session before March 8.

“The prime minister will not resign now. There is no question about that,” Surya Thapa, the aide, told Reuters.

“He will face parliament,” Thapa added, but did not elaborateThousands of people opposing Oli waved red and white flags bearing the Communist hammer and sickle as they took to the streets in the capital, Kathmandu, for a rally to celebrate the court decision and press the prime minister to resign.

(Source: Reuters)