KATHMANDU, JUNE 23
Rabi Lamichhane has been re-elected the president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) at the party's first national general convention currently under way in Chitwan.
According to Bhuvan KC, chief of the RSP Central Election Commission, the commission has declared the party president elected unopposed, as he was the sole candidate registered for the position.
Earlier, Lamichhane had formally registered his candidature for the post of RSP president, with senior leader and Prime Minister Balendra (Balen) Shah as his proposer. To be a candidate for party president, a person needs one proposer and 51 supporters.
Meanwhile, distribution of Central Committee members' nomination forms has started at the ongoing national convention in Chitwan today.
The party constitution makes the posts of party president and senior leader exempt from election to the Central Committee. However, the remaining 99 committee members must be elected through the convention.
The first vote for party presidency and Central Committee seats will start tomorrow morning, though the exact timings have not been announced. The Central Election Commission Chief Bhuvan KC confirmed the results for the opening round will be announced two hours after the polls close.
Meanwhile, Lamichhane presented his political report in the closed session of the party's first national convention today. The comprehensive document looks at the party's core purpose, its objectives and its political trajectory over the past four years.
In the report called 'From Zero to Singha Durbar in Four Years,' Lamichhane said the party's guiding principle was the basic question of why they entered politics. He said that most of the founders of RSP had not come from the traditional political background but from the media, the professional sector and from various other social sectors where they had questioned the state and lobbied for reforms.
The report, however, notes that they eventually realised that the state machinery had become totally unresponsive. This led to the conclusion that true change required entering the system itself. According to Lamichhane, power-centric politics, corruption, a lack of accountability, opportunism, and the pervasive influence of middlemen have all severely harmed democracy.
The report pointedly critiqued democracy for being 'stifled by leaderocracy (netatantra),' which is, in turn, being 'manipulated by middlemen.' The RSP started its political journey with the clear objectives of system reform, restructuring and purification, it claimed.
Lamichhane also raised the issue of past movements and said 'Naya Shakti' and 'Bibeksheel' campaigns made political waves but failed to bring about structural change. Nonetheless, the report concludes that Shah's historic election as mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City revealed widespread public dissatisfaction with traditional parties, effectively preparing the electorate for alternative political force.
Lamichhane stated that the current government, led by senior leader and Prime Minister Shah, is taking positive steps towards establishing a state structure based on good governance, transparency, accountability and development.
In a section of his political report titled 'A Government Sowing Trust and Inspiring Hope,' Lamichhane highlighted the administration's top 10 achievements. According to the report, the government has significantly improved service delivery, strengthened good governance, and taken decisive steps to end impunity and establish the rule of law.
Furthermore, the document credits the administration with conducting asset investigations on high-ranking officials, initiating constitutional amendment consultations, and reforming political appointments. The government's list of milestones also includes assisting cooperatives' victims, protecting public property, reducing the influence of middlemen, managing unregulated settlements and expediting major development projects.
RSP SHIFTS TO SOCIAL DEMOCRACY
RSP, which has been chastised for being populist and ideologically ambiguous since its inception, has named 'Social Democracy' as its ideological goal.
During the party's ongoing convention, Lamichhane delivered a political report in which he outlined 'Social Democracy' as its core political philosophy. When the RSP first formed, it adopted 'Constitutional Socialism' as its guiding principle, incorporating it into both its manifesto and the preamble to the Jaleshwor meeting. However, Lamichhane concluded in this convention report that embracing the constitution as an 'ism' or definitive ideology is inappropriate.
During the convention's opening session, former PM Baburam Bhattarai urged the party to reconsider its stance on constitutional socialism.
"We believe the state, society and economy should not be driven by a single ideological framework but rather by a combined, balanced and context-specific approach," the report says.
The RSP has put forward five pillars as the basis of its ideology of 'Social Democracy.' In the document, RSP President Lamichhane has defined these pillars as competitive liberal economy, rule of law, accountable government, welfare state and equitable and inclusive society.
DIRECTLY-ELECTED EXECUTIVE AND PROPORTIONAL ELECTION
Lamichhane reiterated the RSP's distinct positions on constitutional reform, arguing for a directly-elected executive to guarantee governmental stability.
He also called for a fully proportional voting system to curb rising election costs and ensure fair representation.
His proposal also includes restructuring of provincial assemblies and turning the National Assembly into a non-partisan expert house.
