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...