A Change of Guard in Nepal

The gigantic electoral victory of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) in the recently concluded general election of Nepal demonstrates how the country is turning a new page in the history of its electoral politics.

The result of the election sprung up new results. The most obvious and important was the landslide victory of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP)’s prominent leader Balendra ‘Balen’ Shah. Launched in 2022 by Rabi Lamichhane as an alternative voice to the existing political parties like the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and Nepali Congress, RSP has emerged as a formidable political force on the Nepali political scene.

According to reports, the RSP won 182 of 275 seats. It won 124 seats whose voting was held under the First Past the Post System (FPTP), with a significant lead in other seats. In addition, it won another 58 seats under the proportional representation counting system.

This victory is a part of a much broader social churning in Nepal’s social discourse. The youth, known in popular culture as Gen Z, were the harbingers of this new wave of Nepali politics. RSP’s victory can be traced back to the........

© New Eastern Outlook