Coalition discusses Deputy Speaker Rana’s ouster
The Nepali Congress and CPN-UML have already initiated a signature campaign to oust the deputy speaker and are now seeking to bring other coalition partners on board.
KATHMANDU: An emergency meeting of the ruling coalition has begun at Singha Durbar to discuss the proposal to remove Deputy Speaker Indira Rana Magar.
The meeting, convened at the Nepali Congress parliamentary party office, includes coalition partners as well as Nagarik Unmukti Party chair Ranjita Shrestha and Janamat Party lawmaker Anita Devi.
The Nepali Congress and CPN-UML have already initiated a signature campaign to oust the deputy speaker and are now seeking to bring other coalition partners on board.
Currently, the House of Representatives has 274 active members following the death of lawmaker Deepak Bohara of Rupandehi-3.
According to parliamentary rules, removing the Speaker or Deputy Speaker requires the support of two-thirds of lawmakers — at least 183 votes.
The Nepali Congress holds 88 seats and the UML 79, giving them a combined strength of 167 lawmakers. They are still 16 votes short of the two-thirds threshold and are lobbying smaller parties to bridge the gap.
As per Rule 210 of the House of Representatives, at least one-fourth of lawmakers — 69 members — must back the motion for it to be tabled.
With their current numbers, the ruling coalition can easily meet this requirement. However, securing two-thirds approval for passage remains a significant challenge under the present balance of power.
