ANKARA

KP Sharma Oli, leader of the left-wing Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) CPN-UML, was appointed the country’s new prime minister on Sunday, ending a weeks-long political crisis, local media reported.

President Ramchandra Paudel appointed Oli premier for a fourth term, local English daily the Kathmandu Post reported.

First serving as prime minister in 2015-2016, Oli was also head of the government from February 2018 to July 2021, in two separate terms.

Oli won the appointment after he staked a claim with the support of 166 lawmakers, including 88 from the Nepali Congress and 78 from the UML.

The minimum number of seats needed in the 275-member House of Representatives to form a government is 138.

Oli and his Cabinet ministers will be sworn in on Monday.

Under the country's Constitution, Oli needs to secure a vote of confidence from parliament within 30 days of appointment.

The small Himalayan country was plunged into a political crisis last month following the ouster of Oli's predecessor Pushpa Kamal Dahal after the UML withdrew its support for the ruling coalition.