On 16 September, the Supreme Court temporarily suspended two provisions of the new House of Representatives Rules, passed on 31 May. One provision allows votes in both parliamentary chambers to be combined when determining whether a constitutional amendment had secured the required two-thirds majority, rather than requiring separate approval by each chamber. Opposition lawmakers had warned that the provisions could undermine Nepal’s bicameral system by weakening the National Assembly’s separate role in constitutional amendments. The interim order from the Supreme Court prevents the provisions from being implemented pending a final ruling on their constitutionality, with no confirmed date announced.

Sources: Kathmandu Post (1), Kathmandu Post (2)

On 2 May, President Ramchandra Paudel promulgated an ordinance removing 1,594 officeholders from over 100 public bodies, including universities, regulatory agencies, state-owned enterprises and other public institutions. According to media reports, the ordinance applied to politically appointed officeholders in covered public bodies appointed under previous administrations before 26 March. The measure created leadership vacancies across numerous bodies - disrupting decision-making and delaying administrative processes, public services and appointments in sectors such as education and healthcare - while replacements remained pending. The government stated that the measure was intended to depoliticize public institutions and facilitate appointments based on professional qualifications and merit.  The measure is being challenged before the Supreme Court, where legal experts have questioned the legality of removing fixed-term officeholders through a retroactive ordinance. Although the ordinance requires parliamentary approval to remain in force, the removals would likely remain valid even if it lapses. 

Update: The ordinance lapsed in July after failing to secure parliamentary approval, but the removals remained in effect and hundreds of key public posts remained vacant. In September, the Supreme Court began considering a petition by one dismissed public officeholder seeking reinstatement, while media reported that other affected officials had also begun turning to the courts. The legal consequences of the ordinance’s expiry remain unresolved.

Sources: My Republica, The Kathmandu Post, Nepal News (1), Nepal News (2), Online Khabar, Nepal News (3)

On 5 May, President Ram Chandra Paudel promulgated an ordinance amending the procedures of the Constitutional Council, a body responsible for recommending appointments to the Chief Justice and members of Nepal’s constitutional commissions, after nearly a year of delays in filling key positions. The ordinance lowered the quorum from five to four members and allows decisions to be made by a majority of those present. The government argued the changes would help fill vacancies and restore the functioning of oversight institutions. However, opposition parties and legal experts warned that reducing consensus requirements could increase executive influence over appointments to constitutional bodies. Concerns grew further following the appointment of a new Chief Justice later in May, with critics alleging established seniority norms were bypassed. The ordinance must be approved by Parliament within 60 days of the next parliamentary session, or it will lapse, although legal experts argue that actions already completed under it are unlikely to be reversed.

Update: The ordinance lapsed in July after failing to secure parliamentary approval, but appointments initiated under it remained valid. Rights groups also reported that three senior Supreme Court justices had faced pressure to resign and threats of impeachment while the ordinance was in force, intensifying concerns about political interference in the judiciary.

Sources: International Commission of Jurists, The Kathmandu Post, Human Rights Watch

On 5 March, Nepal held snap parliamentary elections for all 275 seats in the House of Representatives, marking the country’s first national election since the youth-led protests of September 2025. The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), whose prime ministerial candidate was Balendra Shah, won a majority with 182 seats. The two parties that had dominated Nepali politics in recent decades experienced significant losses. The Nepali Congress fell from 89 seats to 38, while the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) fell from 78 seats to 25. Voter turnout was estimated at 59.7 per cent, down from 61.4 per cent in the 2022 election. Women’s representation increased to 96 (34.9 per cent), compared to 91 (33.1 per cent) in the 2022 election. Election observers found that the election was conducted peacefully and in an orderly manner. 

Sources: IPU Parline, ANFREL, Centre for Gender and Politics, Election Commission of Nepal, The Rising Nepal

On 2 January, the Supreme Court ordered the Election Commission to strengthen enforcement of an existing requirement that political parties include at least one person with a disability in their proportional-representation candidate lists. Of Nepal’s total lower house seats, 165 are elected by single member constituencies and 110 through proportional representation. Parties with non-compliant lists for the forthcoming parliamentary election were required to revise them, and the Commission said it would reject any list that remained non-compliant. The order followed a petition by disability rights activists and sought to put Nepal’s constitutional and legal guarantees of disability representation into practice.

Sources:  The Kathmandu Post (1), The Kathmandu Post (2), Online Khabar