Nepal’s new government, old concerns: Governance, dissent, shrinking civic space

As Nepal’s new government, led by Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old former Mayor of Kathmandu, completed its first 100 days in office, two incidents within 48 hours laid bare the widening gap between its promises of reform and the realities of governance.

On July 9, a ride-hailing driver self-immolated following an altercation with the city police over a parking dispute. The 25-year-old died the following day while undergoing treatment. A day later, a holding centre sheltering squatters and landless people after their eviction from Kathmandu’s riversides was inundated by monsoon rains.

The incidents have fuelled public anger against the majority government, with protests flaring up in Kathmandu and elsewhere. Critics say they expose administrative failures, poor planning and an increasingly high-handed style of governance.

The Shah administration now finds itself confronting many of the same questions that dogged its predecessor before last year’s Gen Z protests, which ultimately swept Mr. Shah into office.

Formed on March 27 after the Rastriya Swatantra Party’s landslide victory in the March 5 elections, triggered by last year’s youth uprising, the government came to power promising reform, accountability and good governance. But analysts say it has failed to deliver on those promises.

Anurag Acharya, a political commentator, said the administration is increasingly mirroring the erstwhile KP Sharma Oli government, arguing that Prime Minister Shah has exhibited similar authoritarian tendencies.

“This government’s disconnect with the public is stark,” Mr. Acharya said. “While its performance on all fronts has been dismal, it is targeting critics, the media and civil society. Early signs are not good.”

The criticism has been amplified by Mr. Shah’s public silence. Known for his one-way communication style since his days as Kathmandu mayor — largely through social media — he has made just one public address and delivered only one speech in Parliament during his first 100 days in office.

Mr. Shah has remained silent on both issues that have triggered public anger—the death of the ride-hailing driver and the plight of evicted squatters.

On Tuesday (July 14), Opposition lawmakers accused the government of failing in its fundamental responsibility to protect the vulnerable and the excluded. Niscal Rai, whip of the main Opposition Nepali Congress, referred to Prime Minister Shah as “Shri 8” — an allusion to the honorific “Shri 5”, once reserved for Nepal’s monarchs before the country became a federal republic — suggesting a growing intolerance towards criticism, dissent and scrutiny.

What began as criticism of the government’s handling of two recent crises has increasingly widened into concerns over shrinking civic space, with activists, Opposition leaders and the media alleging intimidation and suppression of dissent.

On July 11, police arrested youth activists after they called attention to the government’s mishandling of evicted landless families. Majid Ansari, a lawyer and Gen Z activist, was injured during the police action and is undergoing treatment.

In a Facebook post from his hospital bed, he wrote: “I have not been informed about the reason for my arrest so far, nor have I been shown any arrest warrant. There is no clarity about the legal status of my arrest either.”

Amnesty International has called for his immediate and unconditional release.

“This arbitrary detention of activists simply for expressing solidarity with victims of forced eviction has raised serious concerns over violations of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, liberty and security of person, signalling an alarming threat to civic space in Nepal,” said Nirajan Thapaliya, Director of Amnesty International Nepal.

“The majority of the Ministers in the current government came to power on the back of Gen Z protests in September 2025. They vehemently advocated for the right to protest and freedom of expression, and against police repression while pledging to hold law enforcement accountable for the crackdown during the September protests. It’s deplorable that within four months of taking office, the government is now forgetting its commitment and is using the same repressive tactics as its predecessor to unlawfully target young activists peacefully expressing their dissent.”

Concerns over shrinking civic space deepened further on July 13 after unattended vehicles were left outside the gates of three leading media houses in Kathmandu. One of the vehicles was parked outside the gates of Kantipur Media Group, the country’s largest media company, blocking the entry and exit of other vehicles. It was later found to belong to a member of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party.

Parliamentarians on Tuesday (July 14) took up the issue, describing the incidents of unattended vehicles blocking media houses as an attempt to silence criticism.

Ramesh Malla of the Nepali Communist Party alleged that such acts were carried out by people backed by the state.

“If those in positions of power have understood that they can govern by creating an environment of fear, they are completely wrong,” he said in Parliament on Tuesday. “Those who gave the mandate to govern could launch a big movement to take the mandate back.”

Concerns over the government’s commitment to democratic norms were evident from the early days. Yet, it continued to get the benefit of the doubt because the public, frustrated with years of misgovernance and corruption, had placed its trust in the new administration.

Last year’s Gen Z protests were sparked by the Oli government’s sudden decision to ban social media. The movement, however, soon evolved into a broader demand for accountability, good governance and better public service delivery.

For a government that rode a wave of public anger against the old political order and promised a decisive break from it, the first 100 days have instead been marked by allegations of administrative failures, shrinking civic space and an increasingly confrontational approach to criticism. The questions that helped bring Mr. Shah to power are now being asked of his own administration.

“There is an utter disregard for checks and balances,” said Mr. Acharya. “There’s neither governance nor any respect for democratic norms. It’s like out of the frying pan into the fire.”