New HoR Members Take Oath

Nepali Congress leader Arjun Narsingha KC, the senior-most member of the newly elected House of Representatives (HoR), administered the oath of office to fellow lawmakers at a multipurpose hall in the Federal Parliament complex at Singha Durbar, Kathmandu, on Thursday, March 26.

KC, 78, was sworn in by President Ram Chandra Paudel on Wednesday.

Lawmakers arrived at the complex dressed in national and traditional attire, with more than five dozen taking the oath in their mother tongues.

KC presided over House proceedings on Thursday and will continue to do so until a new Speaker is elected.

Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) senior leader Balendra Shah is set to take the oath of office and secrecy as prime minister on Friday at the President’s Office, Shital Niwas.

The party is scheduled to formally nominate Shah as its parliamentary party leader later on Thursday, paving the way for his premiership.

The RSP contested the March 5 House of Representatives elections with Shah as its prime ministerial candidate and secured a landslide victory, winning 182 of the 275 seats.

The Nepali Congress won 38 seats, the CPN-UML 25, the Nepal Communist Party 17, the Shram Sanskriti Party seven, and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party five. Independent candidate Mahabir Pun won from the Myagdi constituency.