Rastriya Swatantra Party’s General Convention: Is the Policy to Abolish Provincial Assemblies New or Old?

At the ongoing first general convention in Chitwan, the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has once again put forward the concept of abolishing the provincial assemblies. Having participated in an election for the first time, the party did not field any candidates for the provincial assemblies. Prior to the election held in Falgun, the party faced questions regarding its commitment to federalism. In its election manifesto, RSP used strategic language describing federalism as a revised form of provincial governance. However, at the party’s first election rally held in Janakpur, the capital of Madhesh Province, senior leader Balendra Shah “Balen” clearly articulated the party’s federalist stance and promised to strengthen the provinces further. This was Balen’s first public statement on the subject after joining the RSP, especially notable since he had only voted in the House of Representatives election and not in the provincial assembly election when he was the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

After securing nearly a two-thirds majority in the election and forming the government three months later, RSP has once again raised the issue of abolishing the provincial assemblies. At a closed session chaired by party vice-chair Swarnim Wagle, a document titled “Economic Political Premise” was presented proposing several constitutional amendments. “We will amend the current constitution according to our numbers and strength,” the eight-page document stated. “Governmental reforms have been brought forward by RSP for debate, including a directly elected prime minister system, a rule barring members of parliament from becoming ministers, non-partisan local levels with a one-third reduction in the number of local units to 753, the abolition of provincial assemblies alongside federal restructuring, radical reforms of constitutional bodies like the Judicial Council, and the transparent financing of recognized political parties.” However, this document presented by Wagle at the convention has not been published on the party’s official website.

Party chairman Ravi Lamichhane’s political document also mentions constitutional amendments, though not as explicitly as Wagle’s. The document by Wagle has raised questions among leaders of political parties and civil society. Narayan Wagle, an activist in the civil movement, considers provincial legislative power indispensable for federalism to function. He said, “The concept of a province cannot exist without a provincial assembly. Otherwise, it would simply revert to the old system of regional governors. No one would halt that process now. There can be no power without legislative authority.”

Election system experts and political analyst Tulanarayan Sah stated that RSP’s views regarding the provinces are not new. Since its founding, the party has maintained a ‘conservative’ stance on federalism. “The party named RSP has never been a strong supporter of federalism,” said Sah. “It adopted federalism reluctantly. Both its documents and leaders have expressed such views from the beginning.” The party had mentioned in point 10 of its election manifesto, released before the Falgun election, that it would prepare a ‘discussion paper’ on proposals for constitutional amendments within three months.