Nepal's prime minister is prepared to face a no-confidence motion in parliament after former Maoist rebels who had backed his coalition withdrew their support but he sees no need to step down, an aide said. The impoverished Himalayan country has been plagued by political turmoil for years and the bid by the Maoists to unseat Prime Minister K.P. Oli and form a new government has ushered in another phase of uncertainty. Oli, who came to power in October when the Maoists offered his party parliamentary backing to build a coalition, faces the prospect of a no-confidence vote if he cannot persuade other parties to stick with him. The main Maoist party accuses Oli of reneging on past promises and is expected to move formally lodge a motion of no-confidence in the prime minister on Wednesday. "There is no need for the prime minister to resign. If there is a no-confidence vote against him in the parliament the prime minister will face it," Oli's press adviser Pramod Dahal told Reuters late on Tuesday after meeting junior coalition partners. Neighbours India and China compete for influence in Nepal and are both likely to be concerned by the prospect of more instability in a country struggling to rebuild after a devastating earthquake last year. Oli, Nepal's seventh prime minister since it abolished its 239-year old monarchy in 2008, survived an attempt by the Maoists to unseat him in May after he reached a power-sharing deal. Maoist officials said on Tuesday the opposition Nepali Congress party, the largest in parliament, was ready to throw its support behind Maoist party leader Prachanda to form a new government. — Reuters
