News, Views From Nepal

Yuba Nath Lamsal:--- The September 2025 Gen Z movement has brought about a new paradigm shift in Nepal’s political discourse. Two schools of thought have come up with their distinctly opposite views in defining the Gen Z movement and the new political changes. A section of society calls the new change a mere continuation of the ongoing political process, while the other one is of the view that the new change brought about by the Gen Z movement in the minds of people is a clear rupture in political development. However, this is neither a mere continuation nor a total rupture in political dynamics. Rather, it is a mix of both—continuation as well as a rupture. It is a continuation in the sense that the Gen Z movement did not bring about any systemic change in the political landscape, except pulling down the then government and forcing it to hold a fresh election for the House of Representatives. The constitution and all other state apparatus remained in place and are working accordingl...

Yuba Nath Lamsal:---- We celebrate Democracy Day today in commemoration of the day that marked the end of a century-old Rana family oligarchy and the establishment of multi-party democracy in Nepal in the face of the popular uprising in 1951. Since then, the day is celebrated annually to honour those who sacrificed to bring democracy to the nation. However, we have yet to do justice to the genuine cause for which the martyrs sacrificed their life. Democracy is to empower people and ensure the governance that works for the greater interests of the people. However, the people are often found neglected and forgotten, as partisan and personal interests often appear to have eclipsed the overall interest of the people and country. Although democracy, in principle, is people’s power in which people decide their fate. In genuine democracy, people freely elect their representatives to rule the country, and the government of the people’s representatives governs in the best interest of the ...

Yuba Nath Lamsal:--- The general elections are set to be held on March 5 this year to elect 275 members of the House of Representatives. Of the 275 total seats, 165 will be directly elected by the people based on the first-past-the-post system, while the remaining 110 will be chosen based on the proportionate electoral system. Over 60 registered parties are participating in the election fray, and over 3400 candidates, including party representatives and independent candidates, are contesting the election. Democracy is the people’s polity. All rulers in the world call their regimes democratic, seeking public and international legitimacy. Even notorious dictators call their rule democratic. However, not all regimes are democratic. Genuine democracy is the system wherein periodic elections are held on a multi-party basis and citizens are allowed to choose their representatives in a free, fair and fearless manner. In other words, democracy is the government of free and responsible cit...

Yuba Nath Lamsal:--- This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between Nepal and Japan. President Ramchandra Paudel is paying a four-day official visit to Japan to attend the special ceremony being marked on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The exchanges of high-level visits always contribute to elevating the level of trust, friendship and cooperation between countries. President Paudel’s visit is, thus, expected to further bilateral relations, create better bonhomie and strengthen meaningful cooperation between the two countries. Thus, the visit also signifies the fact that Nepal and Japan accord high priority to their bilateral relations. Nepal-Japan relations are unique, marked by an enduring partnership based on mutual respect, shared values, and long-term development cooperation rather than short-term power politics. Despite international power shifts an...

Yuba Nath Lamsal:-- Nepal is all set for the parliamentary election scheduled for March 5, 2026. This is an early election, held three years after the last parliamentary elections in 2022. The early election was deemed necessary after the Gen Z movement that toppled the NC-UML coalition government headed by KP Sharma Oli and also led to the dissolution of the House of Representatives or the lower chamber of parliament. The Gen Z movement was primarily against corruption, demanding good, transparent and accountable governance in Nepal. Corruption was definitely rampant, which had corroded the morale of society and eroded public trust in politicians, political parties, and the system itself. Politics without principle, honesty and integrity is nothing other than political thuggery, against which the Gen Z movement mainly focused. We have been practicing multi-party democracy since 1990. Nepal entered into a new era of democracy for the first time in 1951 but it did not last long as ...