The parliament of Nepal under President Bidya Devi Bhandari has been dissolved today on the recommendation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

The move comes following a political stalemate over an executive order issued last week.

“PM Oli was under pressure to withdraw an ordinance related to the Constitutional Council Act that he had issued on Tuesday and got endorsed by President Bidya Devi Bhandari the same day,” The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Cabinet this morning.

Nepal’s 275-member House of Representatives was elected in 2017. The next general election in the Himalayan country was due in 2022.

President Bhandari today announced that the national polls will now be held between April 30 and May 10 of 2021, ANI reported quoting a statement from the President’s office.

According to The Kathmandu Post, the ordinance to amend the Constitutional Council Act was introduced on December 15, and allegedly undermined the principle of checks and balances.

It allowed the Constitutional Council to convene a meeting if a majority of its members attend it. PM Oli then held such a meeting on December 15 evening itself.

It is to be noted here that the Constitutional Council is headed by the prime minister and includes the chief justice, speaker, chairperson of the National Assembly, leader of the opposition, and the deputy speaker as its members.

Ass the key appointments to various constitutional bodies are recommended by the Council itself.