Rapid Rebooting Of Democracy: Nepal’s Election 2026 And The Rise Of RSP – Analysis

The political transition in Nepal after the September 2025 protest, also known as the Nepalese Gen Z protests, or Jana Andolan III, shows how the democratic process can be restarted after a mass protest that led to topple down of the government. Whereas on the other hand, other South Asian countries, such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, took approximately 2,  one and half  years, respectively. Nepal just 5 months and 20 days to conduct the fair and just election.

Sushila Karki has done a great job as the interim Prime Minister. She decided to conduct elections within six months, avoided any major change in domestic and foreign policy. She constantly gestured herself as "temporary bridge." She stated, “Her team is not interested in power and would hand over the country's responsibility to a new parliament within six months.” By conducting the election within the stipulated period, she kept her promise.

In contrast, in Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus served as a chief advisor and has tried to drastically change the state's structure and foreign policy. Moreover, it's a 360-degree shift in foreign policy that brought Bangladesh closer to China and Pakistan. In addition, interim regime’s geopolitical posturing, in addition to the case of attack on minorities, during his rule and controversial statements on the North Eastern states of India, spoiled its relationship with India, which was a closer ally of Bangladesh during the rule of Sheikh Hasina.

In the post- Gen Z movement, the Nepalese leadership has shown political maturity. KP Sharma Oli remained in Nepal even after losing power following the protest, and his party, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), was allowed to operate freely and contest the Election. In Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave the country and her party, the Awami League, and its Student Wing (Chhatra League), was banned under the Anti-Terrorism Act by the Muhammad Yunus administration.

Nepal’s March 2026 elections brought a new era in the political history of the country, in which the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) emerged as the largest political party with a full majority 125 seats. It happened second time in the electoral history of Nepal, when a single party got a clear majority.  The Nepali Congress won 110/205 of Pratinidhi Sabhā in the General Election 1991. 

Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), formed by former TV journalist Rabi Lamichhane in 2022. This party was emerged as the 4th-largest party in the General Election 2022, by winning 20 seats. Later on, RSP became part of the government under Pushpa Kamal Dahal in 2022, during which Rabi Lamichhane has served as Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister. However, he was forced to resign after the Supreme Court of Nepal's judgment on 27 January 2023 declared him a non-Nepali citizen. Throughout 2024 - 2025, he was arrested and jailed several times on charges of fraud, organised crime, and money laundering in relation to the Gorkha Media Cooperative Scam. He was freed after protesters stormed Nakkhu Jail on 9 September 2025. 

Balender Shah, popularly known as Balen Shah, gained popularity among the youth as a rapper and began his political career in 2022, when he ran for Mayor of Kathmandu independently and became the youngest Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. He became a nationwide figure when he supported Gen Z protests, becoming one of the first celebrities to do so. Later on, he joined RSP on 28 December 2025 and started a campaign for the upcoming election. In short, his image was emerged as an anti-mainstream party, anti-corruption, an educated leader.

RSP won 31 out of 33 seats in the Bagmati province, which includes Kathmandu Metropolitan City, and 30 out of 32 seats in Madhesh, a region reminiscent of his Madheshi origin in his election rallies.  Moreover, he challenged former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in his traditional seat, Jhapa-5, and defeated him by a margin of 68,348 votes. This party won the highest seats in every province of Nepal, except Karnali, where RSP won just one seat.   

The new government must also keep in mind that Nepal has a history of protest and moments that directly changed and reshaped its constitution and polity. Starting with the 1951 Nepalese Revolution against the Rana oligarchy, which was led by the Nepali Congress, King Tribhuvan of Nepal, and the Communist Party of Nepal, the latter supported the movement. That led to the end of the 104-year-old Rana rule and paved the way for the establishment of a constitutional monarchy and multiparty politics.

The Student Movement of 1979 against the Panchayat system in Nepal's universities and cities forced King Birendra to announce a national referendum (1980); however, the Panchayat system survived, as 54.99% supported it and 45.2% supported the Multi-Party System. Despite the setback from the referendum, a series of reforms were introduced to make the Panchayat system more effective. Following it in 1990, another mass protest erupted against the Panchayat system, led by the Nepali Congress and the United Left Front, which transformed Nepal into a constitutional monarchy with a multiparty democratic system. Jana Andolan II erupted in 2006 after King Gyanendra suspended the democratically elected government of Sher Bahadur Deuba and declared a state of emergency, citing the government's inefficiency in countering the Maoists' insurgency. This led to an alliance between the Maoists and the Parliamentary forces against the King's authoritarian rule. Resulted in a mass movement that abolished the Nepali monarchy and transformed Nepal into a Federal Democratic Republic. 

After a landslide electoral victory of RSP in March 2026, Balendra Shah is likely to become the new Prime Minister of Nepal. As the Gen-Z movement was the result of youth frustration out of prevailing of corruption, unemployment, and political instability, exclusion of common people from the mainstream and rights and privileges of political elites. Now, it is responsibility on part of new leadership needs to focus corruption free, inclusive and good governance, socio-economic  opportunities, inclusive democracy to prevent another uprising.

About the authors:

• Yugdeep Airi (Ph.D Scholar), Department of South and Central Asian Studies, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda (India) 151401. 
• Prof. Bawa Singh, Department of South and Central Asian Studies, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda (India) 151401.