Thousands celebrate restoration of Parliament

Thousands of anti-government protesters threw confetti and chanted slogans in Nepal’s capital on Wednesday to celebrate Parliament’s reinstatement by the Supreme Court.

The court order was a major blow to troubled Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, who dissolved the legislature in December because of a feud within the governing Nepal Communist Party.

The demonstrators applauded the court’s decision and demanded Mr. Oli’s immediate dismissal. The court ruled on Tuesday that the dissolution was unconstitutional and that a meeting of the reinstated body be called within 13 days.

Mr. Oli has not made any public comments since the ruling, which has put him in a difficult position because he will not have the support of a majority of lawmakers.

Political crisis likely

The Nepal Communist Party won a majority of the seats in 2017 elections, but has split following a feud between Mr. Oli and co-leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

Without the support of Mr. Dahal’s splinter group in Parliament, Mr. Oli would have difficulty remaining in office. However, no party holds majority to form the government, which is likely to lead to a political crisis. Since Parliament’s dissolution, there have been regular protests against Mr. Oli.