Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane administered the oath of office to the newly elected central members and office-bearers of the party on Wednesday.
The 99 central members and seven office-bearers, who were elected during the party’s first general convention that concluded on Friday, took the oath at the party office in Kathmandu.
According to the RSP statute, the party has 158 central committee members, of whom 99 are elected and the remaining members are appointed by the party president. Similarly, of the 19 office-bearers, seven (including the president) are elected, while the rest are appointed by the president.
Before the election, the party amended its statute to increase the number of appointed office-bearers and central committee members. The change was made to accommodate leaders from the group associated with Prime Minister Balen Shah and the former Bibeksheel Sajha faction, both of which had merged into the RSP.
Ahead of the general convention, there was an understanding that members from the newly integrated groups might face difficulties winning internal elections. As a result, it was agreed that they would instead be accommodated through appointments to office-bearer positions.
In line with this agreement, around 12 positions – including senior leader, vice-president, general secretary, and joint general secretary – were created on the eve of the general convention to be filled by leaders from the Balen Shah group.
Following the swearing-in ceremony, the path is now clear for the central committee to convene.
The process of appointing nominees begins only after the elected central members and office-bearers are sworn in.
The party president is required to present the names of the nominees for office-bearer and central member positions to the central committee for approval.
