Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister Rabi Lamichhane resigned from his post on Friday after the Supreme Court withdrew his citizenship. Lamichhane had stood for election with invalid citizenship papers, Nepal’s Supreme Court said, effectively removing him from office.
The 48-year-old leader became deputy prime minister after his party joined the coalition government last month.
Lamichhane gave up his US citizenship in 2018 but did not follow due process to restore his Nepalese citizenship and therefore contested the election on his invalid citizen status - the country does not allow dual citizenship.
Nepal's newly appointed prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, left, looks on as his deputies, from right, Rabi Lamichhane, Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Bishnu Paudel are being sworn in during a ceremony at the President House during a ceremony in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Dec. 26, 2022.
© AP Photo / Niranjan Shrestha
Lamichhane submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, better known by his alias ‘Prachanda’ which means "fierce".
“I am no more the Deputy Prime Minister…I am not even the president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party [National Independent Party],” Lamichhane said, becoming emotional, adding, “I am not even the citizen of this country or ‘anagarik’ [non-citizen].”
Lamichhane emerged as an anti-corruption crusader and formed his party with people who had no connections to any established political group. The party won 20 seats in the November parliamentary elections.