Parliament Session: First Meeting of the House of Representatives and Balen’s Potential Address
The first meeting of the House of Representatives after the recent election, scheduled for Thursday afternoon, presents a scene that, in terms of seat distribution and faces, differs from the past few decades, though experts note that the agenda items remain largely conventional. This time, out of 275 seats, 182 members were elected from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (Raswpa), a party established just before the last general election. Having secured a strong mandate from the people, the party is entering Parliament; a former House Secretary observed that maintaining balance within parliament will depend largely on the leadership of the ruling party.
The newly elected House with a five-year tenure will commence its session the same day the National Assembly convenes, where Raswpa representatives will not be present. The parliamentary secretariat has released a tentative list of eight agenda items for the House meeting set for 2 PM. The session will begin with the national anthem, followed by senior member Arjun Narasingh KC, designated as the speaker for the meeting, reading the official letter summoning the session delivered from the President’s office.
Subsequently, information regarding the Prime Minister’s appointment and the formation of the Cabinet will be conveyed to the House. Meanwhile, as a new rulebook has not yet been created, the House will operate under the procedural rules adopted in 2023 (2079 BS), which will be presented for approval in the agenda. Also included are the nomination of members who will chair proceedings in the Speaker’s absence and scheduled party-based statements, mirroring previous sessions.
The agenda also likely includes setting the date for the Speaker’s election, slated for the 22nd of this month. Following this, Home Minister Sudan Gurung is expected to present three ordinances introduced by the election government led by Sushila Karki. Additionally, a condolence motion honoring five late former members of parliament will be part of the meeting’s business.
