Nepal Election 2082: Who Will Select Ministers in the RSP Government? What Will the Cabinet Look Like?
Image Source, Reuters
Following the completion of the proportional representation vote count, much attention has shifted toward when the new government will be formed.
Leaders of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), nearing a two-thirds majority by combining direct and proportional election systems, have declared that a new government will be formed under the leadership of senior leader Balendra Shah (Balen). The party had put him forward as the prospective prime minister during the elections.
An RSP leader indicated that once proportional representation members of parliament are finalized, discussions on government formation will progress.
Sagun Shamsher Jabara, a director of the Election Commission, stated that the commission is preparing to send letters to parties soon for selecting proportional representation MPs. “We are trying to send the letters as soon as possible today,” he said.
He also noted that parties may be given two days to select their proportional representation MPs, and the final election report is expected to be submitted to the President by Chaitra 5.
When Will the Government Be Formed?
Political parties are expected to distribute seats based on the votes they received in the proportional representation system by Thursday.
After applying the threshold cut, RSP, Nepali Congress, UML, Nepal Communist Party, Shram Sanskriti Party, and National Democratic Party will enter proportional representation seats.
Once the proportional representation MPs are selected, discussions about government formation will commence.
“It might take two to three days. Discussions about government formation will proceed only after knowing who the MPs are,” said Khanal.
“Preliminary and informal talks have taken place. Formal discussions within the party will begin within one or two days,” he added.
Image Source, Reuters
Who Will Select the Ministers?
Although RSP has decided to appoint senior leader Balen as prime minister, a formal decision has not yet been made regarding who will select the ministers.
There is increasing interest regarding who will be ministers in the Balen government and who will select them.
According to RSP central member and former education minister Shishir Khanal, both party chair Ravi Lamichhane and senior leader Balen will play roles in ministerial appointments.
“Following past practice, we would have given the responsibility of choosing ministers to the party chair. This time, however, the roles of both persons will be important,” Khanal explained.
A few days ago, RSP leader and former MP Asim Shah indicated that senior leader Balen Shah himself will select the ministers. He urged people not to lobby for ministerial posts, writing on social media:
“There is no need for lobbying, negotiations, media testing, or campaigns to become a minister; doing nothing is also fine. When Balen Shah becomes prime minister, he will select his cabinet himself. He knows very well the abilities and qualifications of all MPs,” he wrote on Facebook.
Experts or MPs as Ministers?
Discussion has started regarding appointing non-MP experts or MPs as ministers.
The RSP has proposed that the prime minister include experts from outside Parliament in the cabinet.
However, according to the constitution, an individual from outside the federal parliament can only serve as a minister for six months.
“To continue beyond six months, they must become MPs. We don’t have many options,” Khanal stated.
“The elections just concluded. Currently, only one vacancy exists in the National Assembly. Therefore, without constitutional amendment, this arrangement won’t be effective,” he added.
Image Source, RSP/Facebook
As previously pledged, a small-sized cabinet is planned.
“Our manifesto mentions 18 members. The first cabinet will likely be limited to 15 members,” Khanal said.
“We aim to form a small cabinet that clearly sends messages of good governance, transparency, and frugality,” he added.
Khanal also mentioned that RSP has experience forming committees within the party to provide necessary advice to the government.
“When we were previously in government, I coordinated forming a committee to serve as liaison between the party and the government. So, there’s a possibility of forming such a committee again, though no formal decision has been made,” he said.
What Will Happen Regarding Provinces?
After winning just under two-thirds of the seats, RSP has begun discussions about the provincial structure.
However, Khanal said that significant changes to provincial structures are unlikely without constitutional amendments.
“According to our manifesto, RSP plans to form a committee to prepare a ‘discussion paper’ and initiate discussions on constitutional amendment matters,” he informed.
“We believe that serious work like constitutional amendment must be based on national consensus. Therefore, our first objective is to prepare proposals on constitutional amendments.”
Within Nepal, some argue that the provincial structure is unnecessary, while others call for reforms to strengthen it.
The constitution mandates at least a two-thirds majority in both houses of the federal parliament for amendments.
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