NEPALI POLITICS

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...

The government has formally decided to abolish all the 12 trade unions of civil and health services which were in place for the last 35 years under the patronage of different political parties, following the issuance of the ordinance “Some Nepal Acts Amendment Ordinance 2083” by the President. The provision was removed after the ordinance, recommended by the government and prepared by the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs in coordination with the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration , came into effect. With this decision, not any form of trade union will now exist within the civil service.    Prime Minister Balendra (Balen) Shah has made it clear that the abolition of trade unions and party flags was aimed at making the bureaucracy and academia clean, free, and professional. He has further said that prohibiting party flags in schools and bureaucracy will not seize rights of students and employees, but strengthens professional freedoms. Par...

One month into office, PM Balendra (Balen) Shah , finds himself moving forward with a mix of high expectations, early reforms, and mounting controversies. Backed by a near two-thirds majority in the Parliament, he assumed office on March 27 following the March 5 elections that rode on the momentum of a Gen Z-driven political wave in the nation . In his very first cabinet meeting, he moved swiftly to endorse an ambitious 100-point governance reform agenda for the first three months in his office. Among others, the plan promised structural changes, including downsizing federal ministries, merging financially burdensome boards and committees, and depoliticising civil servants and teachers. It also envisioned citizen-centric service delivery--passports, licences, and citizenship documents delivered through the postal system.   In a departure from past practices, PM Shah held a collective meeting with ambassadors instead of one-on-one bilateral meetings. The move has been interpre...

Home Minister Sudan Gurung has officially resigned amid growing scrutiny over his alleged financial ties to a businessman facing a money laundering investigation, saying that “public trust must come before office”. He announced on his social media platform that he has decided to resign to uphold high moral standards and ensure a fair investigation into recent allegations regarding his financial investments and share investments.   He noted that his decision is a response to the growing public demand for transparency and the influence of the Gen Z-led movement, which advocates for accountability in leadership. Gurung, who took office on March 27, 2026 (Chaitra 13, 2082), emphasized that he does not want his presence in the ministry to create a conflict of interest while authorities look into his business dealings. He stated that for him, “ethics is greater than position” and that leadership must be responsible to the people who fought for change. By resigning, he aims to clear his...