Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP)

The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (National Democratic Party) was formed in 1990. A right-wing pro-monarchy party, RPP was formed by the political elite of the erstwhile Panchayat system. In 1997, RPP split after the faction led by pro-monarchy politician Lokendra Bahadur Chand joined a coalition government with the CPN-UML, with Chand as Prime Minister. Lokendra Bahadur Chand and Surya Bahadur Thapa became Prime Ministers again in their individual capacity after the dissolution of parliament. In 1998 the RPP-Chand and RPP-Thapa factions were reunited, after both sides fared badly in the elections that year.

In 2004, the king called on Sher Bahadur Deuba of the Nepali Congress to form a four-party coalition government. The RPP became a partner in this coalition. This government was ousted by the King's take over on February 1 2005. The Rastriya Prajatantra party split again in 2005 when Thapa broke away to form the splinter faction- Rastriya Janashakti Party. RPP suffered another split with Kamal Thapa forming his own faction called RPP-Nepal. RPP is currently headed by party president Pashupati Shamsher Jung Bahadur Rana.

Goals

Nationalism, democracy and liberalism form the ideological bases of the party. RPP favors free market economy. It believes in promoting the private sector and advocates that export-led strategy is the best basis for a modern economy.

Platform

The RPP is fully committed to pluralistic democracy, supporting constitutional monarchy, nationalism and economic liberalization.

RPP believes that no nation can stand on its own, in alienation with the world body. The party believes that the country has to change its foreign policy keeping this in mind and with correct analysis of the changing world scenario.

Following the restoration of democracy in 1990, RPP was established with the view that the country required a nationalistic alternative to parties that fought for democracy.

RPP encourages political action to end political aggression.

Reservation for women and backward groups are the RPP's policy for the formation of an egalitarian society.

Summary of Manifesto

Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) has decided to take middle path embracing an inclusive democratic system. IT is for restructuring the state on the basis of federal, multi-party system and integrated nationality, saying that the party would advocate an end to social, political, educational, and cultural discrimination.

It says the party would stick to democratic nationalism and would neither support extreme right nor extreme left.

It further says that the issues of monarchy and secularism should be left to the sovereign people to decide directly.

The party has emphasized on a federal system of governance by putting to an end the existing unitary system. The country's economy, foreign policy, security, sovereignty and policies of national interests would be controlled by the central government, while the federal states will frame the rest of the policies.

It further says that the central government would be headed by a PM as in the Westminster system.

The manifesto says that the party supports regional governance along with rights to self-determination. A powerful and high level commission comprising experts on geography, sociology, language, law, history, survey, economy, and marginalized sections of society would decide the number and arrangement of the federal states. National integrity must be taken care of while deciding on the states.

It has suggested the formation of district councils under the federal governments and emphasized on press freedom, human rights, reservations to dalits, janajatis, women, madhesis and other marginalized communities in government organs and their representation in all state mechanism.

The local as well as national languages would be used as official languages. There should be a certain level of reservation in all state organs for socially, politically, culturally and economically deprived communities.