Kathmandu, May 13: Lawmakers from Rastriya Swatantra Party have yet to publicly disclose their property details despite the party’s election pledge to do so before taking public office. Politics and promises, that old arranged marriage.
Under Nepal’s anti-corruption laws, people holding public office must submit their asset details to the relevant authority within 60 days of assuming office. But RSP had gone a step further during the election, promising to make such disclosures public even before assuming office.
The commitment was included in point 16 of the party’s 100-point election manifesto released for the March 5, 2026 election. The party had also pledged to publish independent audits showing changes in the assets of elected representatives and their families before and after their term.
Despite winning near two-thirds support and forming the government, RSP lawmakers have not fulfilled that promise. Although parliamentary work, including formation of House committees, has already moved ahead, the asset details of its lawmakers remain undisclosed.
According to the lawmakers’ facilities branch at the Federal Parliament Secretariat, only 58 lawmakers have submitted their property declarations so far.
RSP alone has 182 members in the House of Representatives, while other parties include 38 from Nepali Congress, 25 from CPN-UML, 17 from Nepal Communist Party, seven from the Labour Culture Party, five from Rastriya Prajatantra Party, and one independent member.
The deadline, to be fair to the machinery of delayed accountability, has not yet passed. The Secretariat has asked lawmakers to submit their asset details by May 24.
The legal requirement stems from the Corruption Prevention Act, 2059, and the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority Act, which require officeholders to disclose updated details of their and their family’s assets, including sources.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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