Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, commonly known as 'Prachanda,' faced a significant setback on Friday as he failed to secure a vote of confidence in Parliament. The motion, held in the 275-member House of Representatives (HoR), saw Prachanda receiving 63 votes in favor and 194 votes against.

Since assuming office on December 25, 2022, Prachanda has survived four previous trust votes. However, the latest defeat came after the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) withdrew its support from his government. The CPN-UML, led by former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, opted to form a power-sharing alliance with the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the HoR.

The Nepali Congress, under the leadership of President Sher Bahadur Deuba, has endorsed K P Sharma Oli as the next prime minister. With 89 seats in the HoR, combined with CPN-UML's 78 seats, their alliance totals 167 seats, surpassing the 138 votes required for a majority in the lower house of Nepal's Parliament.