Ex-PM Oli accepts crushing election loss as RSP sweeps Nepal vote

Kathmandu, March 12 (IANS) Nepal's former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli said he accepted the people's mandate with full respect after he and his party suffered crushing defeats in the elections to the House of Representatives held on March 5. 

Oli, chairperson of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) or CPN (UML), suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Balen Shah, the prime ministerial candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), in the Jhapa-5 constituency in eastern Nepal -- a traditional stronghold of the UML -- and such a result was considered unthinkable for many.

Shah, the former mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, secured victory against Oli with 68,348 votes -- the largest vote tally by any candidate in Nepal's parliamentary history -- while the former Prime Minister received just 18,734 votes in a devastating defeat at the hands of the newcomer.

His party also finished third, winning just nine seats out of the 165 seats available under the First Past the Post (FPTP) system in the 275-member House of Representatives. As many as 110 seats are filled through the proportional representation electoral system.

The three-and-a-half-year-old party, led by its President Rabi Lamichhane and prime ministerial candidate Shah, secured victory in 125 seats under the FPTP system. The party has also substantially led in vote share under the proportional electoral system, as traditional political parties -- CPN (UML), Nepali Congress, and the Nepali Communist Party-- bit the dust.

"I could not achieve the result I had expected in this election. Our party also could not secure the outcome we had anticipated," former Prime Minister Oli said in a Facebook post.

"In a democracy, the final decision rests with the people, and it is the duty of my party and me to respect that decision. I accept the people's mandate with full respect."

He said the election result did not come in his party's favour. "However, our commitment and spirit of service toward the people have not weakened in the slightest," he added.

Oli said that although it was a difficult time for his party, it would remain among the people, continue working for them, and move forward to strengthen the "relationship of trust".

In the wake of the catastrophic electoral defeat, many videos of the former Prime Minister Oli undermining the RSP and its leader Shah are circulating on social media, drawing mockery from users.

Top leaders from traditional political parties, including Oli, suffered humiliating losses in the elections as public frustration toward them had been growing over time. The leaders had been engaged in repeated power struggles, forming and toppling governments over the past several years, while corruption allegations against some senior figures further aggravated the electoral environment.

In September last year, an anti-corruption Gen Z movement brought down the Oli-led coalition government when 77 people lost their lives and public and private property worth over NPR 84 billion was damaged, according to government estimates.

An interim government led by Sushila Karki was then formed, which held elections on March 5 this year, bringing the new party, RSP, to power.

--IANS

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