Nepal’s oldest party splits ahead of post-protest polls
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Questions remain on which Nepali Congress faction is now legitimate – and will be able to use the iconic tree symbol and party flag during an election scheduled for March 5.
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KATHMANDU – Nepal’s oldest political party, Nepali Congress, has split ahead of March general elections, with a dissident party faction unanimously electing a new president.
The rupture adds to Nepal’s turbulent political environment, after nationwide protests in September
“I am grateful to you all,” newly elected party president Gagan Thapa said in a speech in the early hours of Jan 15.
“You have given me the responsibility of the president of a party like Nepali Congress. This is not a small responsibility. I sincerely pledge in front of you that I will not let you down.”
Questions remain on which Nepali Congress faction is now legitimate – and will be able to use the iconic tree symbol and party flag during the election scheduled for March 5.
“The commission has received letters and will make a decision,” Election Commission spokesman Narayan Prasad Bhattarai told AFP.
Five-time prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has served as Nepali Congress’ president since 2016, but a special convention was called by dissident leaders to pave the way for leadership change.
Negotiations to prevent a split continued until Jan 14 but collapsed after leaders failed to reach an agreement, including over whether Mr Deuba would take a step back.
Mr Thapa and two other leaders were then suspended before the breakaway members voted him leader of their faction.
Mr Thapa, 49, is one of the most prominent faces of the party’s younger generation and held the position of its general secretary.
The fragmentation of the Nepali Congress underscores a broader shift in the country’s politics, where demands for a generational shift and political accountability are reshaping long-established parties and prompting new faces to join politics.
After Nepal’s previous prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli was ousted in September, 73-year-old former chief justice Sushila Karki was appointed interim premier
At least 77 people were killed during the unrest, which was triggered by anger over a brief government ban on social media, building on public frustration after years of economic stagnation.
Ms Karki has promised to create a “fair and fear-free” environment for the polls. AFP
