COMMUNISTS withdrew from Nepal’s government today to join long-time rival party the Nepali Congress in a new coalition, as pressure builds on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to resign.

The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist), the country’s second-largest party, announced that it was withdrawing support for Mr Dahal and all its ministers resigned on Wednesday night.

Leaders of the communists and of the Nepali Congress, the largest party, had signed an agreement on Tuesday to form a new partnership to govern for the remaining three years before the next general election.

Mr Dahal became prime minister in December 2022, following an inconclusive election in which his party finished third. 

He took to switching coalition partners to keep his majority.

The Maoist leader survived a no-confidence vote earlier in March, after a smaller party broke away from its coalition. If Mr Dahal does not step down immediately, he will need to seek a confidence motion in a month.

It is his third time in power since his Maoist party ended an armed revolt and joined mainstream politics in 2006.

Mr Dahal, also known as Prachanda (“the fierce one”), led a Maoist communist insurgency from 1996 to 2006.