On 4 August 2016, Pushpa Kamal Dahal of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist-Centre) was elected as the Prime Minister of Nepal. His candidacy was supported by the Nepali Congress, and several small parties represented in the Nepalese Parliament after a power-sharing deal with the Nepali Congress. Due to this, Dahal would become Prime Minister until the 2017 Nepalese local elections, after which he would step down in favour of the Nepali Congress.

The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) (Nepali: नेपाल कम्युनिस्ट पार्टी (माओवादी केन्द्र)), abbreviated CPN (Maoist Centre), CPN-Maoist Centre, CPN Maoist Centre, or CPN (MC), is the third largest political party in Nepal and a member party of Samajbadi Morcha. It was founded in 1994 after breaking away from the Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre). The party launched an armed struggle in 1996 against the Nepalese government. In 2006, the party formally joined mainstream politics after signing a peace agreement following the 2006 Nepalese revolution.