Disruptive impact of mass vacancies at public bodies

Removing public officials without a replacement plan risks making things worse for potential beneficiaries.

In a sweeping overhaul of Nepal’s public services, nearly 1,600 political appointments have been terminated. This follows President Ramchandra Paudel’s endorsement on Saturday of the “Ordinance on special provisions relating to the removal of public officials from office, 2026”. All appointments made prior to March 26 have been cancelled, disrupting the regular functioning of public administration, as well as educational and health services. This decision is in keeping with the ‘act first’ mindset of the Rastriya Swatantra Party government, which now runs the country with nearly two-thirds parliamentary majority. As soon as it came to power following the March 5 elections, the government had asked all political appointees to voluntarily resign. Just as the Nepali electorate opted for a sea-change in the country’s governance, the RSP reckoned the time was right for a revamp of government services. That might be the case. Yet removing so many public officials at one fell swoop without a clear plan to replace them risks making things worse than better for the very people these reforms aim to benefit.