RSP nears two-thirds majority in Nepal Parliament as election results signal major political shift

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s emerging political force, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), appears to be heading toward a historic electoral breakthrough as vote counting from the latest parliamentary election shows the party approaching a two-thirds majority in the federal parliament, signaling a potential transformation in Nepal’s political landscape.

According to the latest vote count from the Election Commission of Nepal, the RSP has already won 102 seats under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system and is currently leading in 23 additional constituencies. If these leads hold, the party could secure around 125 directly elected seats in the House of Representatives, positioning it as the dominant political force in the country.

Nepal’s 275-member House of Representatives requires 184 seats to secure a two-thirds majority, a threshold that allows a ruling party to push major legislative changes, including constitutional amendments and impeachment proceedings.

Proportional Representation Votes Strengthen RSP Position

Parallel vote counting under Nepal’s proportional representation (PR) system shows strong nationwide support for the RSP.

Out of approximately 2.5 million votes counted so far, the party has secured around 1.265 million votes, representing roughly 51 percent of the total vote share—an unprecedented performance for a relatively new political party in Nepal.

By comparison:

• Nepali Congress has received about 427,000 votes (around 17%)
• Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) has secured roughly 340,000 votes (about 13.5%)

Other parties crossing the 3 percent electoral threshold include the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and a faction of the Communist Party of Nepal. Meanwhile, smaller parties such as the Shram Sanskriti Party remain below the threshold and are unlikely to secure proportional seats.

Seat Projection: RSP Could Reach 186 Seats

Based on the proportional allocation formula used by the Election Commission, early projections indicate that the RSP could secure around 61 proportional representation seats.

If combined with its expected 125 direct seats, the party’s total representation in parliament could reach approximately 186 seats, slightly above the two-thirds majority threshold of 184 seats.

Projected PR seat distribution based on current vote share includes:

• RSP: about 61 seats
• Nepali Congress: around 21 seats
• CPN-UML: roughly 16 seats
• Communist Party factions: about 8 seats
• Rastriya Prajatantra Party: about 4 seats

Final seat allocations may shift slightly depending on the final vote count and adjustments related to parties that fail to cross the threshold.

Major Implications for Nepal’s Governance

A two-thirds majority in Nepal’s federal parliament carries significant constitutional weight. It allows a government to:

• Propose and pass constitutional amendments
• Initiate impeachment proceedings against constitutional office holders
• Implement major structural reforms in governance and economic policy

However, constitutional amendments require approval not only from the House of Representatives but also from the upper chamber, the National Assembly of Nepal, where a two-thirds majority is also required.

Political Earthquake in Nepal

The surge of the RSP reflects a broader shift in Nepal’s political environment, where voters increasingly demand governance reform, anti-corruption policies, economic transformation, and institutional accountability.

Political analysts say the party’s rise could reshape Nepal’s traditional party system, long dominated by the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist).

With counting still underway in several constituencies, the coming hours will determine whether the RSP can formally secure a historic supermajority—one that could redefine Nepal’s political direction, economic policy debates, and constitutional reform agenda in the years ahead.