NEFPORT ISSUE 49 – JUNE 2022
Political Overview Nepal held its second local government elections since federalization on May 13, 2022. Elections were held in six metropolitan cities, 11 sub-metropolitans, 276 municipalities, and 460 rural municipalities. The Nepali Congress Party agreed to form an electoral alliance with its coalition partners, the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Socialist, the Janata Samajbadi Party, and the Rastriya Janamorcha Party and were successful in reclaiming seats held by the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist-Leninist (CPNUML) in several constituencies. Moreover, the CPN-UML finally ended its obstruction of the parliament as the 11th session of the House of Representatives started. Likewise, the Government of Nepal presented its policies and programs for the upcoming fiscal year 2022/23.
EXECUTIVE UPDATES Dhiraj Pratap Singh Appointed as the New Inspector General of Police The government on May 1, 2022, promoted Additional Inspector General (AIG) Dhiraj Pratap Singh as the new Inspector General of Nepal Police. Despite regulations stating that the appointment of the IGP shall be based on merit and seniority, the Council of Ministers appointed Singh, who ranked third in the police department after Bishwa Raj Pokharel and Sahakul Bahadur Thapa.5 Subsequently, AIG Bishwa Raj Pokharel filed a petition at the Supreme Court against the
government’s decision.7 However, the Supreme Court refused to issue an interim order of the writ petition, stirring further controversy.6 Modi Comes on a One-Day Visit to Nepal On May 16, 2022, the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi arrived on his first official visit to Nepal after being re-elected as the prime minister in 2019, at the invitation of Prime Minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba. Modi paid an official visit to Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha to attend a special ceremony on the auspicious occasion of the 2566th Buddha Jayanti. The two
FACTSHEET
Index
Rank
Score
Economic Freedom Index 2021
148
49.71
Fragile States Index 2021
51
82.22
Corruption Index 2022
117
333
prime ministers participated in prayer at the Mayadevi Temple, laid the foundation stone for the construction of a center for Buddhist culture and heritage at the Monastic Zone in Lumbini, and addressed the special ceremony organized at the Lumbini International Buddhist Meditation Center.7 Likewise, six Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) were signed between Nepal and India during the visit. MoU between Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Lumbini Buddhist University on the establishment of Dr. Ambedkar Chair for Buddhist Studies, MoU between ICCR and Tribhuvan University, and ICCR and Kathmandu University on
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