Nepal: Federalism faces fresh debate as ruling RSP pushes to abolish provinces
Kathmandu, June 26 (IANS) More than a decade after Nepal formally embraced federalism through the promulgation of the Constitution in 2015, the Rastriya Swatantra Party’s (RSP) proposal to abolish provincial assemblies has reignited debate over the future of the country’s federal structure.
The party, which commands nearly a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives, endorsed a political and economic paper presented by its Vice President, Swarnim Wagle, during its ongoing General Convention in Chitwan district.
The document calls for sweeping constitutional and governance reforms, including the abolition of provincial assemblies, one of the key pillars of Nepal’s federal system.
The paper states that the RSP has already introduced several governance reform proposals for public debate, including the direct election of the Prime Minister, a system barring Members of Parliament from becoming ministers, non-partisan local governments, a one-third reduction in the number of local units from the current 753, restructuring federalism including the abolition of provincial assemblies, comprehensive reforms of the Judicial Council and other constitutional bodies, and transparent financing mechanisms for recognised political parties.
Party President Rabi Lamichhane has also stated in his political paper, presented separately at the General Convention, that the party supports the restructuring of provincial assemblies and provincial governments.
He has also proposed transforming the National Assembly, the upper house of Parliament, into a chamber of non-partisan experts and linking the role of the Vice President with that of the Chairperson of the National Assembly.
These proposals come at a time when the government, led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah, has initiated consultations with political parties and other stakeholders on possible constitutional amendments.
Some RSP leaders have sought to downplay concerns, arguing that the document merely reflects the party’s policy position on a number of issues, including the scrapping of provincial assemblies, and does not necessarily mean that the Constitution will be amended accordingly.
RSP leader and Foreign Minister Sishir Khanal told local media outlet Onlinekhabar that a directly elected executive, the abolition of provincial assemblies, and reducing the number of local government units were long-standing positions of his party.
“To establish and implement these agendas, a political party must have at least a two-thirds majority or sufficient political strength to amend the Constitution,” he said.
Under Nepal’s Constitution, an amendment requires a two-thirds majority of the combined membership of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly.
Although the RSP enjoys close to a two-thirds majority in the lower house, it does not have representation in the National Assembly, a factor that could complicate efforts to push through major constitutional changes.
But the proposal does not have full support within the RSP itself. Its lawmaker, Amaresh Kumar Singh, wrote on Facebook that any form of interference in democracy, federalism, and inclusiveness would be unacceptable.
“If anyone attempts to tamper with Nepal’s democratic system, federal governance structure, and inclusive character, the Nepali people would strongly resist such efforts,” he said.
The proposal also appears to depart from assurances made by Prime Minister Shah during his first major public address in Janakpur city on January 19 as a parliamentary candidate ahead of the general elections, when he pledged to respect the federal republican framework established by the Constitution.
Addressing an RSP programme in Janakpur on January 19, Shah said that provinces must be made strong enough to end the need to travel to Kathmandu to seek power.
Critics, however, argue that the proposal signals a broader ambition within the party, not merely to reform the existing federal arrangement but to dismantle federalism altogether.
The proposal has drawn particularly strong criticism from Madhes-based political parties, whose protests and movements in 2007 played a decisive role in pushing Nepal towards the adoption of a federal system.
Ironically, the Madhesi parties that once exercised considerable influence in Nepal’s Parliament do not hold a single seat in the House of Representatives following the March 5 elections, in which the RSP swept to power and marginalised many of the country’s established political forces.
“The scrapping of provinces or provincial assemblies is not acceptable to us,” Keshav Jha, General Secretary of the Rastriya Mukti Party Nepal, a Madhesh-centric political party, told IANS.
“Madhesi people have shed their blood for the federal system, and any attempt to scrap the provincial system will go against the sacrifices of the martyrs and invite strong pushback,” he said.
Under the federal system, Nepal has three layers of government — federal, provincial, and local. Nepal had previously operated under a two-tier system consisting of central and local governments. Only after the promulgation of the new Constitution in 2015 did provincial assemblies and provincial governments come into existence, making them vital to the very concept of federalism.
Jha said that Prime Minister Shah’s remarks about strengthening the provinces before the elections now appear to have been hollow promises in light of the current moves by the country’s largest political party.
Critics of federalism have long questioned the need for provinces in the country, arguing that the additional layer of government has unnecessarily increased state expenditure while delivering few tangible results in return.
But Jha said that the performance of provincial governments has not been up to the mark because the central government has refused to grant them the authority envisioned in the Constitution, while frequent changes in governments over the past decade, driven by political equations at the federal level, have further weakened the system.
–IANS
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