KATHMANDU, JUNE 18

Newly appointed Chief Minister of Gandaki province Krishna Chandra Nepali Pokharel has passed the floor test in the Provincial Assembly held today.

Pokharel won the vote of confidence motion with a total of 31 votes in his favour out of 58 votes cast at the PA today. The Gandaki PA has a total of 59 lawmakers.

Pokhrel was appointed as CM of the province on June 12 by Gandaki Governor Sita Kumari Paudel, in line with Article 168(5) of the Constitution.

He was backed by 31 lawmakers of the opposition alliance including lawmakers from Nepali Congress, CPN-Maoist Centre and Rashtriya Janamorchha.

CM Pokharel had undergone the floor test as per the requirement of the Constitution of Nepal that provisions that the new CM appointed after the removal of his predecessor through a floor test, must win the parliament's trust within a month of appointment.