Key Challenges To New Government

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 accordingly. But at the same time, it brought about a change in the political perception. A new narrative was established based on which voters chose a new political force and faces, seeking an overhaul in the governance system. As a result, relatively new political force Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) secured almost two-thirds majority in the lower house of parliament. Good lesson While RSP emerged as the largest winner with about two-thirds of the seats in parliament, other traditional parties have been virtually marginalised. Balen factor played a greater role in creating an electoral wave in favour of RSP. Even if the seats of the rest of the other parties were combined, they would not go anywhere with the number RSP has won. This is simply because the traditional parties, which went to power several times in the past, miserably failed in the eyes of the people. People taught the traditional political parties a good lesson through ballots. In other words, the election is a peaceful insurgency against the traditional parties. In the modern political history of Nepal, several political events have taken place that have proved to be turning points. The 1951 revolution, the 1990 popular movement and the 2006 political upheaval are some key political events that have changed the course of Nepal’s politics. However, these revolutions were aborted midway and ended up in compromise rather than bringing about total transformation in the system and structure. The 1951 movement was against the Rana family oligarchy. But in the end, the agreement was reached to accept the same Rana ruler as Prime Minister in the new political dispensation and the revolutionary party joined in the same cabinet. In the aftermath of the 1990 movement, the new interim cabinet was formed together with the change makers as well as the advocates of the old regime. Similarly, the 2006 political change that was brought about on the foundation of a decade-long Maoist armed insurgency and street protest of parliamentary parties, too, ended up in compromise. The Gen-Z movement, too, could not be different, which had two principal demands and agendas. One was to reverse the ban on social media that the Oli government had imposed, while the other was corruption control. The rest of the other issues revolved around these two agendas. However, it turned out to be an anti-government protest which finally toppled the government, paving the way for fresh parliamentary elections. Now the RSP is all set to form its government, for which popular expectations are very high. There are multiple problems facing the country. But the new government needs to focus primarily on three key agendas. The three areas the RSP government has to zero in on are — governance, economic sector reforms and foreign policy arena. Corruption is massive and people are fed up with the bureaucratic red tape, policy corruption, nepotism and favouritism. Every sector has been hit hard by the abuse of authorities at all levels, due to which public morale has reached a nadir. Politics, economy, administrative services and all other areas have been badly hit and people’s trust in public service is poor. This situation must be reversed, ensuring better, cleaner and more efficient governance. People are more optimistic with the rise of RSP as the party has made its commitment public in the election manifesto that its primary focus would be to ensure good governance. The second challenge for the new government is to bring the derailed economy back on track. The economic situation is in dire condition. The economic growth is at its lowest. All sectors of the economy are almost stagnant, which need to be activated. This requires both policy reforms and the government’s strong commitment to win investors’ trust. The other important challenge is concerned with handling international relations, foreign policy and diplomacy. Our foreign policy objectives and priorities have been clearly spelled out in the constitution, which guides the government in handling foreign policy. However, due to a lack of institutional memory, development, and professional expertise, it is evident that foreign policy and diplomatic handling have not met expectations. Instead, our diplomatic handling has been poor and rather more bureaucratic. National interest Geography is a reality, whereas other factors may change depending on the international context. In international relations, no country or power is a permanent friend or permanent enemy. The national interest is the permanent driver dictating foreign policy. Geopolitics is always cruel. Asia has emerged as the principal theatre of geopolitical rivalry. Nepal’s unique geographical location between two competing powers — India and China and Asia being the primary geopolitical rivalry of international powers, can be both an opportunity and a challenge for us. Having two giant economies as our immediate neighbours can be an opportunity to upscale our economy and at the same time, there is also a risk of being caught in the geopolitical rivalry among competing powers. This situation demands a more delicate, realistic and pragmatic approach in handling foreign policy and diplomatic affairs. The new government is expected to be more mindful of these realities and act accordingly on the domestic as well as foreign policy fronts. (The author is a former chief editor of this daily and a former ambassador. lamsalyubanath@gmail.com)