Democracy at risk in Nepal, says leader of opposition

“The refusal to receive an application to claim the prime ministerial post signed by a majority of 149 members of the lower house as per the president's call in this regard was an attack on democratic norms and values,” Deuba was quoted as saying by The Himalayan Times newspaper during a meeting of opposition leaders on Thursday in Nepal.

Deuba, the leader of the Nepali Congress, the biggest among opposition parties, had formed a coalition of five parties, including a communist party headed by former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and a faction of Prime Minister Oli’s party headed by disgruntled leader Madhav Nepal.

Soon after the dissolution, opposition parties moved the apex court--for the second time in the last five months - challenging the move. Over two dozens petitions are pending the country’s top court in the matter. The court is hearing the matter on daily basis.

Defending the move in the court, the government argued that the president’s action to dissolve the house can’t be reviewed by the court. Legal experts, though, contest the claim. There is enough precedence, they claim, where the top court not only reviewed decisions by the president but also passed orders overturning them.

Significantly, earlier in February, the court had reinstated the house, overturning the president’s December decision to dissolve the house.