Kathmandu, 03 May (H.S.):
More than 1,500 political appointments in Nepal have been nullified overnight through a presidential ordinance, leaving over 1,500 posts vacant across 150 public institutions. President Ramchandra Poudel promulgated the order on Saturday, and it was officially published in the Gazette (Rajpatra) on Sunday, immediately stripping the incumbents of their offices.
The “Ordinance on Special Provisions Relating to the Removal of Public Officials from Office, 2083 (2026)” has impacted a wide spectrum of government bodies, including universities, public institutions, committees, boards, authorities, research centres, constitutional bodies, and state‑owned broadcasting agencies. All appointments made under previous governments—spanning regimes led by former Prime Ministers KP Sharma Oli, Sher Bahadur Deuba, Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, and the interim government headed by former Chief Justice Sushila Karki—have been swept away in a single stroke.
A press release issued by the office of Prime Minister Balendra Shah lists the 150 state entities affected and confirms that 1,594 individuals, appointed as post‑holders by earlier administrations, are now deemed removed from their respective positions. The ordinance targets chairs, directors, members, and other office‑bearers in organisations such as universities, state‑owned enterprises, public broadcasters, research institutes, and regulatory bodies, effectively creating a leadership vacuum in many institutions until fresh appointments are made.
Government officials argue that the move is aimed at ending politically driven appointments and strengthening institutional credibility. However, critics fear that the abrupt removal of so many officials at once could disrupt day‑to‑day functioning in education, health, energy, and media sectors. The ordinance explicitly does not cover the Governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) or members of its board, indicating that the central bank has been kept outside the scope of this clearance drive.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
