Chief minister (Nepal)

In Nepal, the chief minister (मुख्यमन्त्री) is the elected head of government of each of the seven provinces. The chief minister is appointed by the governor of the provinces according to Article 167 of the Constitution of Nepal.

Following the election of the provincial assembly, the governor of each province invites the leader of the parliamentary party with a majority of the seats in the assembly to form a government. If no party has a majority, the governor invites the party with a majority with support from other parties in the assembly. The appointed chief minister must retain the confidence of the assembly and the term of such a chief minister is as long as the term of the provincial assembly of the province.

Eligibility
The Constitution of Nepal sets the qualifications required to become eligible for the office of chief minister. A chief minister must meet the qualifications to become a member of the provincial assembly.

A member of the provincial assembly must be:


 * a citizen of Nepal
 * a voter of the concerned province
 * of 25 years of age or more
 * not convicted of any criminal offense
 * not disqualified by any law
 * not holding any office of profit

In addition to this, the chief minister must be the parliamentary party leader of the party with the majority seats in the provincial assembly. If no party has a majority, the chief minister must have a majority in the assembly with the support from other parties. If within thirty days of the election, a chief minister is not appointed as such, or fails to obtain a vote of confidence from the assembly, the parliamentary party leader of the party with the most seats in the assembly is appointed chief minister. If the chief minister such appointed fails to obtain a vote of confidence in the assembly, any assembly member who can command a majority in the floor, irrespective of party allegiance, is appointed chief minister. If this chief minister also fails to obtain a vote of confidence, the governor dissolves the assembly and fresh elections are called.