Kathmandu…. Nepal's newly appointed Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is set to seek a vote of confidence on July 21, a week after assuming office.

Oli, 72, chairman of the CPN-UML (Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist), was appointed prime minister by President Ram Chandra Paudel on July 14 after his predecessor Pushpa Kamal Dahal lost the trust vote in Parliament.

On July 12, Nepal President Ram Chandra Paudel called on political parties in Nepal's parliament to stake claim for the prime minister's post after Pushpa Kamal Dahal lost the confidence motion. The president had called for staking claim in accordance with Article 76(2) of the Constitution. On the same day Oli staked claim for the prime minister's post, he and Nepali Congress party president Sher Bahadur Deuba jointly signed an application on Friday evening to the president to appoint the UML chief as the country's new prime minister. With the support of the Nepali Congress and other smaller parties, Oli on Friday submitted signatures of 165 MPs, claiming majority in parliament for the prime minister's post.

According to the Constitution of Nepal, to take charge as the Prime Minister, it is necessary to have the support of a majority of 138 members in the 275-member House of Representatives. Apart from this, it is also mandatory for the Prime Minister to get a vote of confidence within 30 days of appointment to prove support.