PM to step down before February third week

KATHMANDU, Feb 7: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is mulling to step down soon after the Election Commission (EC) submits the results of the House of Representatives (HoR) under the proportional electoral system. 

Prime Minister Deuba's personal aides said he will step down on the same day the EC submits proportional results of the HoR. 

“The reason why the prime minister stayed in power is to ensure the full implementation of the constitution. Since the submission of PR results of the HoR by the EC to the president ensures full implementation of the new constitution, the prime minister will tender his resignation from the post soon after,” said his personal secretary Keshab Raj Joshi.

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The EC has already announced to submit all results including the results under the proportional electoral system by February 19. The EC was reluctant to announce the results of PR seats of the central parliament, citing ambiguous constitutional provisions. 

The EC had delayed the announcement after major political parties remained sharply divided over the ambiguous constitutional provisions. The EC has been saying that it would announce the results only after the election of the National Assembly. 

As the EC decided to withhold the PR results of HoR until the result of National Assembly elections are out, the CPN-UML alleged that EC had toed the line of ruling Nepali Congress (NC)-led government. 

The UML, which is poised to form the new government, had alleged that Prime Minister Deuba was unnecessarily prolonging his stay in the government over ambiguous constitutional provision. However, the prime minister had maintained that he would step down soon after the electoral processes of province, HoR and National Assembly are completed.

There are a total 59 members including three nominated by the government in the upper house. Similarly, 165 of the total 275-member House of Representatives are elected under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system and the remaining 110 members are elected under the PR system.