RSP emerges dominant in Nepal parliament, Just two seats short of two-thirds majority

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s new parliamentary landscape has taken shape following the completion of vote counting under the proportional representation system for the House of Representatives. Preliminary seat calculations indicate that the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has emerged as the largest political force, securing 182 seats in the 275-member parliament, just two seats short of a two-thirds majority.

The final distribution will be formally confirmed by the Election Commission of Nepal after allocating proportional representation seats using the Saint-Laguë formula, but current projections based on vote totals show a decisive electoral victory for the party.

RSP’s Historic Parliamentary Strength

The RSP won 125 seats through the first-past-the-post system and is projected to secure 57 additional seats through proportional representation, bringing its total to 182 seats in the House of Representatives.

In Nepal’s 275-member parliament, a two-thirds majority requires 184 seats, placing the party just two seats away from the threshold needed to pass constitutional amendments without support from other parties.

The proportional vote count shows the RSP receiving 5,146,681 votes out of a total 10,764,889 valid proportional ballots, representing over 47 percent of the national vote—a significant share that propelled the party to dominance in the new parliament.

Nepali Congress and UML Face Sharp Decline

The Nepali Congress has emerged as the second-largest party but with far fewer seats compared with the RSP. The party secured 18 seats through direct elections and is expected to receive 20 proportional seats, bringing its total representation to 38 seats.

This marks a dramatic decline from the 89 seats the party held in the previous parliament. In the proportional vote, the Nepali Congress received 1,754,052 votes.

The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) (CPN-UML) also suffered a major setback. The party won 9 direct seats and is projected to obtain 16 proportional seats, giving it 25 seats in total—roughly one-third of its previous parliamentary strength.

The UML previously held 79 seats in the dissolved House of Representatives. In the proportional vote, the party secured 1,451,759 votes, losing nearly half of the support it had gained in the previous election.

Performance of Other Political Parties

The Nepal Communist Party is expected to secure 17 seats in total, including 8 direct seats and 9 proportional seats, after receiving 808,582 proportional votes.

Two smaller parties also crossed the proportional threshold:

Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP): 5 seats total (1 direct, 4 proportional)

Shram Sanskriti Party: 7 seats total (3 direct, 4 proportional)

The Shram Sanskriti Party, led by Harka Sampang, is particularly notable as a new political force established only four months before the election. The party managed to win three direct seats and cross the 3 percent proportional vote threshold, securing national party status.

Parties Failing to Enter Parliament

Several previously influential parties failed to secure representation in the new House of Representatives.

The Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal led by Upendra Yadav and the Janamat Party led by CK Raut did not win any seats. Both parties also failed to cross the 3 percent proportional vote threshold, eliminating their chances of representation through the proportional system.

Six Parties to Gain National Party Status

According to election officials, six political parties will qualify as national parties under the proportional representation system.

These include:

Rastriya Swatantra Party

Nepali Congress

Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist)

Nepal Communist Party

Rastriya Prajatantra Party

Shram Sanskriti Party

Next Steps in Seat Allocation

Information Officer Suman Ghimire from the Election Commission of Nepal confirmed that the proportional vote count has been completed and the process of allocating seats will now begin.

After the seat distribution is finalized, political parties will be formally asked to submit the names of their proportional representation candidates from their closed party lists within three days.

The commission will review whether the nominations comply with legal requirements, including representation quotas and inclusion provisions, before issuing official certificates of election to the proportional lawmakers.

With the near-two-thirds dominance of the RSP and the significant decline of traditional political parties, the new parliamentary composition signals one of the most dramatic political realignments in Nepal’s modern democratic history.