KATHMANDU: The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) had called its electoral manifesto for the March 5 House of Representatives election a “pledge to establish order.” As election results continue to pour in, the RSP appears set to secure close to a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives. Of the 275 seats in the Lower House, 184 are needed for a two-thirds majority.

When a single party brings a comfortable majority to parliament, it can carry out whatever reforms it desires. This unprecedented opportunity has been granted to the RSP by the people this time around. In other words, the RSP has received the mandate to establish order in the country.

On 6 March 2024, RSP Chair Rabi Lamichhane had become Home Minister for the second time in the government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal. During that period, when the two largest parties in parliament, the Nepali Congress and the CPN (UML), formed a new ruling coalition through a seven-point agreement on 1  July 2024, the RSP exited the Dahal government. Lamichhane had alleged that the UML and the NC formed the coalition to remove him because he had been working relentlessly against corruption.

After the Gen Z movement displaced that very NC-UML government and the subsequent election was held, the RSP has received an unexpected electoral outcome. Now, however, the RSP has no leeway to shy away from results-oriented work by pointing to other parties, legal constraints, or the bureaucratic machinery. The weight of public expectations on the RSP, which has received such an enormous mandate, is equally immense.

It now finds itself in a position where it must toil day and night to end corruption, promote good governance, and fulfil the aspirations of the people.

Previously, there used to be complaints that meaningful work was impossible due to the absence of a single-party majority government and an unstable system in which political maneuvering and games led to frequent changes of government. This time, the people have voted for the RSP in a manner that leaves no room for such complaints. A climate of political stability has been established. Under these circumstances, there appears to be no obstacle to the RSP implementing its electoral manifesto to the letter. If existing laws, policies, regulations, or procedures prove to be hindrances, the RSP now has the facility to repeal or reform them immediately because other political parties will not retain the parliamentary standing to create obstacles.

In order to give the people a genuine sense that order is being established, the RSP government that is about to be formed must not abandon the foundation of rule and procedure. The cases pending against party chair Lamichhane in various courts must be allowed to reach their conclusions through due process, without political interference. Even though the outgoing government had decided to withdraw the organized crime case against Lamichhane before the elections, that decision has yet to be implemented. If the new government attempts to influence cases connected to the party chair, it risks sending a negative signal to the public from its very first move.

To establish order means to make people feel the reality of the rule of law. What the people want is equal treatment for all under the law. Order in state governance can only be considered established when the situation ends, where those with political influence and connections are perpetually shielded by the government while those without access remain perpetually victimized. Political analyst Narayan Dhakal says, “It appears that even communities that have faced marginalization have cast their votes for the RSP with hope. The segment that once looked to leftists for justice now seems to be looking to the RSP.

The government must work in a manner that makes every citizen feel they are being treated equally. Order can only be considered established when the practice of favoritism and discrimination comes to an end.”

In the manifesto made public by the RSP, there is a mention of working to increase the size of the middle class. This means improving the income levels of the people and progressively making them more prosperous. For the people to become prosperous, the country’s economy must improve. The RSP has stated clearly in its manifesto: “Achieve seven percent annual economic growth, raise per capita average income to USD 3,000, build a 100-billion-dollar economy within seven years, and become a middle-income country within ten years.”

To achieve this, it is first necessary to establish order in the political and administrative machinery. That is, order in state operations can only take hold when the rule of law is practiced, meritocracy is upheld, public service delivery becomes efficient, and politicization within government bodies is brought to an end. For this, the RSP has an unprecedented opportunity.

To seize that opportunity well, it is first necessary to bring the civil administration in line with the rule of procedure. Only by properly mobilizing the bureaucratic machinery can the government achieve its desired results. Citizens have long complained that government service delivery is slow, cumbersome, and mired in bribery. In its manifesto, the RSP has promised to make government services available “online, not in line.”

This will require converting government services into digital systems and making them more accessible. Service delivery must be made streamlined and effective. Former Secretary Gopinath Mainali notes that the bureaucracy does not easily internalize the agenda of change, and that if the government fails to perform well from the outset, the administration will gradually drag it down. “The shock of political upheaval is barely felt by the civil administration, and even when a major shock is felt, it does not spur action out of panic. When nothing is felt at all, the administrative machinery becomes lethargic,” he says. “The agenda of civil servants is limited to their own career development and livelihood; service delivery does not feature in it. Administrative expertise has not yet matured within the new party. Service delivery can only be made effective if the administration is properly brought under command.”

The RSP has said it will free state machinery from party influence, establish meritocracy in judicial reform, and abolish trade unions within the civil service.  Failing to take prudent decisions on these matters could result in significant non-cooperation from the bureaucratic machinery which could in turn create serious difficulties for the government itself.

In the past as well, the aspirations of the people were not particularly grand. They wanted ease in small matters and an end to extreme politicization.

There is rampant negligence in government service delivery. Even obtaining a passport requires laborious effort. People have been unable to receive driving licenses and national identity cards for up to two years. Intermediaries have taken over land survey and revenue offices. Businesses are forced to pay bribes just to register a company or renew their registration. The reforms the citizens desire lie in precisely these small matters. Former Secretary Mainali says, “The people want improvements in small things. The experience of change must be delivered through these very issues, and the government must build trust as it moves forward.”

To establish order in the state machinery, the right people must be given the right responsibilities. Previously, citizens had long complained that the leadership of government bodies was driven by political self-interest and personal gain, and that incompetent individuals were placed at the helm of major institutions. Political analyst Dhakal says, “Previously, policy was being hijacked for private interests. Appointive positions were being sold. Individuals lacking competence and professional expertise were being handed responsibilities. The incoming government must restructure public institutions in accordance with democratic values.”

In the past, the political leadership had been colluding to exploit state resources to an extreme degree, a matter that was being questioned not only at the public level but also from within the parties themselves. The national budget was being channeled, along with its headings, into the constituencies of certain leaders. This meant that budget distribution was neither proportional nor balanced, leaving development plans entirely absent from remote areas. Disregarding the constitutionally mandated equitable distribution of development, political leaders with access to government had been plundering resources at will.

In the days ahead, the budget-making process itself must be reformed for the overall development of the country. As soon as the RSP forms the government, it will need to dive into preparing the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. What development and transformation policies the new government adopts will become clear through the government’s policies and programs and the budget to be presented in parliament in roughly two and a half months.

Previous governments had been making decisions that served the interests of influential industrialists and businesspeople, who were kept close. Intermediary rule was dominant within the government.

A limited number of businesspeople reaped unlimited benefits while those without access were perpetually pushed to the margins.

On another front, the economy had been unable to gain momentum. Businesspeople have been saying that the investment climate is unfavorable. Analysis has repeatedly pointed to legal complications as the reason investors are not attracted. To achieve seven percent annual economic growth, improve per capita income, and grow the size of the economy, the private sector must be taken into confidence and an investment-friendly environment must be created. Following the Gen Z movement of September 8 and 9 last year, the morale of the private sector has fallen. Investors are complaining that there is no assurance of security. Money is piling up in banks while investment remains absent.

Bhawani Rana, former president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, says the incoming government has an opportunity to carry out legal and administrative reforms that take the private sector into confidence and create an investment-friendly environment. “The people have voted overwhelmingly for a single party in the expectation of reform. This is an opportunity to establish order and demonstrate results through action. That opportunity must be put to good use.”

A party with an extraordinary majority in parliament can displace the distorted practices of the past and make a fresh start, one that, over time, can help strengthen and make effective a system that has been corrupted for years.

However, if arrogance born of that majority were to prevail instead, it would cause unforeseen damage, warns political analyst Dhakal. He says, “Giving one party an overwhelming majority is a message to do exceptionally good work. It doesn’t mean all expectations will be fulfilled and the entire system will be in place within a single month. There is an opportunity to build an effective system and pave the way for reform within five years. That opportunity must be put to good use.”

There is a domestic example of a party that failed to make good use of an overwhelming majority. In the 2017 House of Representatives election, the UML and the Maoist Center, having formed an alliance, had secured close to a two-thirds majority. But they did not move forward in accordance with the public mandate. Even after merging the parties, internal disputes escalated to the point of a split. Because they exhausted the patience of the people, the old parties have suffered a historic defeat in this election.

Analyst Dhakal warns that failing to put the majority to good use in the national interest would amount to an insult to the public mandate and a squandering of the opportunity the country has received. He says, “The majority must be put to good use in the national interest. Unity within the party must be maintained and a situation must be created where interests do not clash. When there is no balance within the party – that is precisely where problems emerge.”