KATHMANDU, March 25: Amid growing discussions within the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) about appointing only experts as ministers, the party has convened a Central Committee (CC) meeting immediately after the oath-taking of newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs).
Following the administration of the oath of office and secrecy by the Parliament Secretariat, the RSP has scheduled the CC meeting for 4 pm on Thursday to select the parliamentary party leader (PPL) in the House of Representatives (HoR) and initiate the process of forming a new government, including ministerial appointments. The oath-taking ceremony is also set for the same day.
Senior RSP leader Balendra Shah (Balen) is poised to become prime minister. However, he must first be elected as the PRL. Balen is preparing to take the oath of office as prime minister on Friday. The CC meeting has been specifically called to pave the way for his selection as PPL ahead of his appointment.
Party spokesperson Manish Jha said the meeting’s agenda centers on selecting the parliamentary party leader. He added that the party is also preparing to revise statutory provisions governing the selection process. Article 66 (8) (a) and (b) of the RSP statute currently outline the procedure for electing the PPL.
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According to the statute, before federal elections, candidates selected under both proportional and first-past-the-post systems must contest an internal election, with all general party members eligible to vote. The party now considers this provision impractical in the present context, prompting the move for amendment. A formal proposal to revise the statute will be tabled at the meeting.
The RSP had entered the elections projecting Balen as its prime ministerial candidate and had even signed a written commitment to appoint him after the polls. However, the existing statutory framework does not allow for his immediate selection as PPL, necessitating an amendment.
Provisions related to the PPL are included in Part 21, Article 66 of the RSP statute. Sub-clause 8 details the selection process of the PRP. Sub-clause (a) states that, before federal elections, an internal election must be held among interested candidates selected by the party under both electoral systems to choose the parliamentary party leader of the HoR. Sub-clause (b) further specifies that all general members of the party are eligible to vote in such an election.
Sub-clause (c) stipulates that a candidate must secure a majority (50%+1) of the valid votes cast to be elected PRP. If no candidate achieves this threshold, a runoff is to be held between the top two candidates, with the winner becoming the parliamentary party leader.
Similarly, sub-clause (d) states that the election shall be conducted on a date fixed by the central committee and administered by the central election commission. Sub-clause (e) provides that the parliamentary party leader cannot be removed unless a majority of general members decide to recall them in accordance with the statute. However, if the leader fails to meet the required qualifications, they may be removed by a decision of the central committee. The RSP is now preparing to amend these provisions in line with current political realities.
Leaders say the meeting will formally propose Balen as PRP following the amendment. With nearly two-thirds majority in the HoR, the RSP is gearing up to form a single-party government. It plans to do so under Article 76 (1) of the Constitution, which allows the President to appoint as prime minister the parliamentary party leader of the majority party.
To form a majority government, a party must secure at least 138 seats in the 275-member HoR. The RSP has won 182 seats, comfortably crossing the threshold.
This will mark the first time since the promulgation of the Constitution in 2015 that a single party forms a majority government under Article 76 (1). In the 2017 elections, the then CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre) jointly secured 174 seats. However, since the two parties had not merged at the time of government formation, Article 76 (1) was not invoked. Instead, a government was formed under Article 76 (2), with UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli appointed prime minister. He later secured a vote of confidence in the HoR. The two parties merged afterwards to form the Nepal Communist Party, which later split due to internal disputes.
Similarly, the 2022 elections also resulted in a hung parliament, leading to the formation of a coalition government under Article 76 (2).
Following the Gen Z movement on September 8 and 9, the RSP secured a majority in the HoR elections held on March 5, clearing the path for a single-party government under Article 76 (1). The party is set to earn the distinction of forming the first majority government under the current constitutional framework.
Sources say the CC meeting may also deliberate on ministerial appointments, though the party has not officially confirmed this. Balen has been consulting experts on governance and cabinet formation. The RSP has instructed its MPs and leaders to refrain from lobbying or making public statements regarding ministerial positions, emphasizing that the final authority rests with the prime minister.
