Former Nepal guerrilla leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal sworn in as PM

Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Former Maoist guerrilla leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal was sworn in as prime minister of Nepal for the third time on Monday during a ceremony in Kathmandu.

The swearing-in came one day after Dahal was appointed to the job by Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari.

Dahal previously served as prime minister from 2008 to 2009, and again from 2016 to 2017. He is the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal.

He once again gained the post after leaving an alliance with the ruling Nepali Congress party, saying it had "lost relevance," and subsequently met with opposition leader Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli.

Dahal made the move after earlier failing to secure the position, with his allies accusing Oli's Nepali Congress Party of trying to hold both the presidency and the parliamentary leadership.

On Sunday, Dahal presented Bhandari with a letter showing he had the support of 169 out of the 275 members of Nepal's House of Representatives.

Oli, who served as prime minister three times, is a controversial figure in international politics. He caused a diplomatic row with India when the legislature in 2020 approved the redrawing of Nepal's political map to include territories currently controlled by India.

Dahal will have to win a vote of confidence in the lower house of Nepal's legislature within 30 days or the process of forming a government will have to recommence.