| Post: | Chief Minister |
| Body: | Karnali Province |
| Native Name: | कर्णाली प्रदेशका मुख्यमन्त्री |
| Insignia: | Emblem of Karnali Pradesh.png |
| Insigniasize: | 170px |
| Insigniacaption: | Emblem of Karnali Province |
| Incumbent: | Yam Lal Kandel |
| Incumbentsince: | 8 April 2024 |
| Department: | Government of Karnali Province |
| Style: | Honorable Mr. Chief Minister |
| Status: | Head of Government |
| Abbreviation: | CMO |
| Appointer: | Governor |
| Termlength: | Until majority confidence retained in provincial assembly Assembly term is 5 years unless dissolved earlier |
| Termlength Qualified: | No term limits |
| First: | Mahendra Bahadur Shahi |
| Salary: | रु. - 61,000 |
The chief minister of the Karnali Province is the head of government of Karnali Province. The chief minister is appointed by the governor of the province according to Article 167 of the Constitution of Nepal.[1] The chief minister remains in office for five years or until the provincial assembly is dissolved, and is subject to no term limits, given that they have the confidence of the assembly.
The current chief minister is Yamlal Kandelof the CPN, in office since 8 April 2024.
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.[2]
A member of the provincial assembly must be:
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.[3]
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Assembly | Political party | Cabinet | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assumed office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||||
| 1 | Mahendra Bahadur Shahi | 16 February 2018 | 1 November 2021 | 1st | CPN (Maoist Centre) | M. B. Shahi | [4] [5] | |||
| 2 | Jeevan Bahadur Shahi | 2 November 2021 | 12 January 2023 | Nepali Congress | J. B. Shahi | [6] | ||||
| 3 | Raj Kumar Sharma | 12 January 2023 | 3 April 2024 | 2nd | CPN (Maoist Centre) | Sharma | [7] [8] | |||
| 4 | Yam Lal Kandel | 10 April 2024 | Incumbent | CPN (UML) | Kandel | [9] | ||||