Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Daman Nath Dhungana, passed away on Sunday. He was 83.

He breathed his last at Frontline Hospital in Kathmandu, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival, according to Krishna Nepali, the information officer at the hospital.

Elected a member of the parliament from Kathmandu 2 in 1991, Dhungana served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1991 to 1994. A staunch advocate of democracy and republicanism, he played an important role in Nepal's democratic and republican movements, including the people’s movement in 2006.

Though he stepped back from active politics later in life, Dhungana continued to voice his opinions, often standing as a critical observer of state power and a proponent of democracy.

In his legal career, Dhungana practised law from 1971 (2028 BS) to 1990 (2046 BS), following a brief stint as a teacher. Despite his active political engagement, he refrained from availing of state benefits, embodying his dedication to democratic ideals.

Dhungana also played a facilitating role in bringing the then-rebel Maoists into mainstream politics and the peace process. After a gap of years, he contested elections in Bhaktapur in 2017 but he couldn’t win the seat.

Politicians and observers have described his passing as the end of an era for a leader who consistently championed civil rights, democracy, and justice.

President Ramchandra Paudel has said he was shocked by the news of Dhungana’s death. “The contribution made by Dhungana to the democratic movement as a politician, senior advocate and a civil society leader will always be remembered,” the Office of the President wrote on the X account on Sunday.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli expressed condolence at the demise of former Speaker Dhungana and lauded his contributions. “I am saddened to hear about the sad demise of former Speaker and my dear friend Daman Nath Dhungana, I recall his remarkable contribution to the human rights movement and promotion of parliamentary democracy in Nepal,” the prime minister said.

Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel has said “Dhungana’s death caused irreparable loss to the country’s democratic movement.”

Akhilesh Upadhyay, former editor-in-chief of The Kathmandu Post, remembers Dhungana as arguably Nepal's best Speaker to date.

“Much respected by the opposition- UML, NWPP, Sadhavana, etc. But Nepali Congress heavyweight and then-prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala disliked him; Dhungana refused to entertain GPK's partisan interests,” Upadhyay wrote on X. “History will be kinder. RIP.”