Nepal’s President Urges Unity After House Dissolution Amid Protests
Nepal’s political scene heated up this weekend as President Ram Chandra Paudel called on everyone to work together for a smooth House of Representatives election set for March 5 next year. This comes right after the lower house got dissolved late Friday night, sparking backlash from major parties.
The move followed intense pressure from Gen-Z protesters, who accused current MPs of corruption and demanded the house’s end. Acting on advice from the newly appointed Prime Minister Sushila Karki, President Paudel dissolved the house—barely two years after it formed in 2022. In a statement Saturday evening, Paudel hailed it as a peaceful resolution to a tense crisis, crediting smart negotiations.
"We’ve saved the Constitution, the parliamentary system, and our federal democratic republic," Paudel said. He urged all sides to seize this chance and cooperate to ensure fair elections in March.
But not everyone agrees. Eight key political parties in the dissolved house slammed the decision as undemocratic and unconstitutional. In a joint statement, they pointed to Article 76(7) of the Constitution, Supreme Court rulings, and past traditions, saying, "We can’t accept such unconstitutional steps."
The critics include big names like Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) or CPN (UML), CPN (Maoist Centre), CPN (Unified Socialist), Janata Samajbadi Party, Janamat Party, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party, and Nagarik Unmukti Party. These groups had pushed to keep the house alive, complicating talks between Gen-Z leaders, the President, and the Nepal Army.
Talks dragged on as protesters refused to budge on dissolution. There was even a debate: dissolve the house first or appoint a new PM? Gen-Z insisted on dissolution upfront. But President Paudel, as the Constitution’s guardian, stressed the need for a PM’s recommendation. They finally agreed to name Karki as PM first on Friday night. She then recommended dissolution, and it happened around midnight.
A local digital newspaper quoted PM Karki saying the President initially wanted her input before acting. "In the end, he agreed to dissolve it. Everything was set—timing didn’t matter much since it was happening anyway."
As Nepal gears up for these early elections, the focus now shifts to how parties and protesters will collaborate. Will this calm the storm, or fuel more debate on Nepal politics and constitutional norms? Stay tuned for updates on the House of Representatives dissolution and upcoming polls.
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