Bell Over the Ballot Box

With the final results of the 2026 general election now finalized, the shape of the new parliament has become clear. A total of 165 members of the House of Representatives (HoR) have already been elected through the first-past-the-post system. The EC has also allocated 110 Proportional Representation (PR) seats among political parties. Once the Election Commission submits the election report to President Ram Chandra Paudel, the process of government formation will formally begin. The election results clearly show that the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has received a mandate to form the government. In many respects, this election has set new benchmarks. For the first time in recent history, parliament is likely to witness a large influx of new faces. What political parties had failed to achieve through internal reform—generational renewal—has been accomplished through the ballot box. Leaders and veteran party workers who had long dominated parliamentary politics from major parties such as the Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML, the Nepali Communist Party have failed to return to parliament with the same strength this time. Not only has the election brought new faces, it has also reshaped the hierarchy of political parties. Until now, the NC, UML and NCP had remained the main forces in national politics. This time, however, the RSP has emerged as the largest party. The NC, which previously held that position, has been pushed into second place. Another noteworthy development is the emergence of Harka Sampang’s party in eastern Nepal. It has not only secured its first presence in parliament but has also taken an important step toward establishing itself as a new political force in the country.