Kathmandu : President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Monday has called for the election of the new prime minister on the basis of a political consensus within a week.

Earlier on Sunday, the Cabinet had recommended the Head of the State to use Article 305 (removal of constitutional difficulties) and Clause 2 of Article 298 of the Constitution to let the House elect the Prime Minister as per the Article 298 again.

Concluding that the constitutional provision was not clear enough to elect the Prime Minister after the incumbent PM is unseated, KP Sharma Oli-led Cabinet had recommended the President to use Article 305, before Oli put in papers yesterday itself.

Now, a Prime Minister can be elected following clause 2 or 3 of Article 298 of the Constitution after the order, according to the President’s Office.

Earlier, President Bhandari had consulted the top leaders of the main political parties on the current political situation. At the consultation meeting held for nearly two hours at President's residence, Shital Niwas, Chairman of the CPN-UML and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Chairman of CPN (Maoist Centre) Puspakamal Dahal 'Prachanda' discussed the ways ahead for formation of a new government and other contemporary issues.