Trust-Building Ahead of HoR Polls

Prime Minister Sushila Karki’s meeting with top leaders of the Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML and the Nepali Communist Party—the country’s three major political forces—marks a cautious but significant step towards restoring political trust ahead of the House of Representatives (HoR) elections scheduled for March 5, 2026. The talks, aimed at rebuilding confidence among political parties, followed an earlier meeting convened by President Ram Chandra Paudel at his official residence this week, which helped break the prolonged political impasse. Since the Gen-Z movement in early September, relations between the movement-backed government and the political parties ousted from power had virtually collapsed. The unrest of September 8 and 9—followed by violence, looting, arson and vandalism—left little room for dialogue. In that context, Prime Minister Karki herself had publicly acknowledged that meeting senior party leaders was unlikely. President Paudel’s intervention has therefore played a crucial role in easing tensions and creating space for renewed engagement, making Saturday’s meeting possible and softening the acrimony that had defined recent months. The president’s effort to bring Prime Minister Karki together with former prime ministers KP Sharma Oli, Sher Bahadur Deuba and Pushpa Kamal Dahal can be seen as an important “icebreaker” for broader political dialogue. It has opened the door for the prime minister to directly engage party leaders on future plans and electoral coordination. This comes at a time when doubts persist—among political parties and analysts alike—over whether elections can be held as scheduled.