NEPALI POLITICS

Prime Minister Balen Shah’s government has broken from decades of entrenched patronage politics  in its 100 days as called " honeymoon period ". Marked by rapid shifts, sweeping administrative overhauls, and bold foreign policy maneuvers, his tenure has generated several defining political surprises. Sweeping Governance & Administration Overhauls: A New Cabinet Standard : His government bypassed traditional veteran politicians, forming a 15-member cabinet that made national headlines for exclusively consisting of highly educated professionals. Dismantling Party Unions: In his first cabinet meeting, he shocked the civil service by pushing to abolish party-affiliated trade unions and aggressively streamlining federal ministries from 25 down to 17. The " 100-Point Agenda " : His governemnt immediately published a strict, delivery-focused 100-point reform agenda with measurable deadlines, aiming to completely digitize office management and track adminis...

In the general elections held on March 5, 2026 the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) won overwhelmingly 182 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives (HOR). Accordingly, a new majority government was formed under the leadership of RSP senior leader Balendra (Balen) Shah , without the support of any political party.    The RSP enjoys a comfortable majority government, whereas the oppositions are in weak positions in the national political history. The Nepali Congress (NC) has been reduced to a mere 38 seats. The CPN-UML holds 25, the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) 17, the Shram Sanskriti Party (SSP) 7, and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) just 5. No other party managed to get even 10 percent of the total seats other than the NC. When the opposition is significantly weaker than a strong ruling party, the foundational checks and balances of a democratic system might be significantly weakened or break down. This has raised a fundamental question for the democratic republic ...

Sudan Gurung , who is a Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker, had earlier resigned from the position of Home Minister saying that he was stepping aside to ensure an impartial investigation and avoid any conflict of interest, has been reinstated on Tuesday, 9thJune 2026, after an official investigation into his finances found no wrongdoing, paving the way for his return to the office. A government-appointed investigation committee led by former High Court Judge Achyut Prasad Bhattarai submitted a 45-page report to Prime Minister Balendra (Balen) Shah at Singha Durbar on Friday, 5th June 2026 clearing him of corruption allegations and opening the door for his possible return to the post. Independent lawmaker Mahabir Pun, who was also the minister in the interim government of Sushila Karki , has also been appointed as the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation along with Gurung. His appointment has created a rare episode in Nepal's political history. None of the in...

The Balen led government appears to be a proactive government aggressively performing its constructive roles in the areas of agriculture, industry, technology, health, education, justice and infrastructure for the solution of problems which were the nation and the people facing for the last three decades. It marks a paradigm shift from the earlier sluggish government performance to boosting public confidence in state institutions, through administrative reforms and management discipline, efficiency and performance. The collapse of the Oli led government was rapid. The immediate trigger for the protests in the streets was the then government’s decision to ban 26 social-media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, WhatsApp and YouTube, for failing to meet a deadline to register with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. The move was justified as a means of enforcing a digital-services tax . However, it was widely seen as a means of shutting down free sp...