Kathmandu, March 17: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Vice Chair Dr Swarnim Wagle has said that safeguarding the unprecedented mandate given by voters in the recent House of Representatives election is the party’s primary responsibility.
Speaking at an orientation program for newly elected lawmakers in Lalitpur, Wagle said the public has given a clear mandate for development and good governance, and the party cannot afford to ignore public expectations.
He described the election result as one of the strongest mandates in Nepal’s democratic history. Comparing it with the first general election of 1959, Wagle noted that although the Nepali Congress led by BP Koirala had won a two-thirds majority then, it secured only 38 per cent of the popular vote.
In contrast, he said, the RSP has won 182 seats with over 5.1 million votes, securing around 48 per cent of the popular vote, calling it an “unprecedented” mandate in Nepal’s history. He stressed the need to deliver results to justify this trust.
Wagle urged lawmakers to learn from the instability and weaknesses of past governments. He cited how the Nepali Congress majority government in 1991 collapsed due to internal disputes, the Maoists could not sustain their government for even nine months in 2008, and the strong majority of the Nepal Communist Party formed in 2017 fell apart within three years. He warned against repeating past mistakes.
Pointing out that earlier parties failed to manage internal conflicts and wasted their mandates, he stressed that the RSP must focus on stability and good governance.
Advising newly elected lawmakers, Wagle called for a transparent lifestyle, restraint in public statements, and constant attention to public grievances. He also urged them to study the constitution and laws in depth to play an effective role in Parliament.
He said the current mandate is heavy in both scope and responsibility in Nepal’s democratic journey, and called on all representatives to act with a strong sense of duty.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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