CPN-UML chair and former prime minister KP Sharma Oli has appealed to voters to back the party, framing the upcoming elections as a test of commitment to the constitution and national sovereignty.

In a video message on Sunday, Oli referred to the incidents of September 9 last year, when Singha Durbar, the Supreme Court, the Parliament building and police posts were set ablaze, saying the arson did not just destroy property but also people’s trust and aspirations.

Describing himself as being in the final phase of his life, Oli said he was contesting not for personal ambition but for younger generations. “My remaining days are fewer than the days I have lived. I am fighting for those whose remaining days are greater,” he said, urging voters to feel satisfied that they chose in favour of the nation.

Oli equated “country first” with protecting the constitution, law, territory and citizens. He said constitutional guarantees of the right to speak, live, seek justice, and vote must not be weakened. “Only if the constitution survives do your rights survive,” he said.

He called for an electoral mandate that would ensure the constitution is not destabilised, laws are not flouted, and rights are not trampled. Public institutions, including Singha Durbar, courts, Parliament, roads, government offices and security agencies, were built with taxpayers’ money and public trust, he said. “When they burn, it is not only infrastructure that is lost. Trust and dreams burn with them.”

Oli also linked his appeal to national independence and dignity, saying pride in “our soil, our borders and our identity” forms the core of collective strength. He said voters must now decide whether they stand for safeguarding the nation or remain indifferent to its future.

Failing to take a clear position at a critical moment, he warned, would leave individuals questioning their own moral courage later in life.