The Rastriya Swatantra Party, having won a near two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives election, is meeting on Sunday to discuss government formation.

Party chair Rabi Lamichhane, senior leader Balendra Shah, who has been projected as the prime minister, and members of the party secretariat will discuss government formation, including the pick of ministerial candidates, among other matters.

Immediately after the secretariat meet, the party plans to convene a meeting of its central committee to finalise the list of MPs to be elected under the proportional representation category. Also on the agenda is amendment of the party statute to make the election of parliamentary party leader easier.

As both Lamichhane and Shah fell ill after their hectic nationwide election campaign, the two leaders only met once on Thursday and discussed a way forward, two RSP leaders said. They later communicated via phone.

On the agenda of government formation, the meeting is likely to entrust Lamichhane and Shah with selecting ministers, said Shishir Khanal, the RSP leader who won the Kathmandu-6 House seat.

Shah, the prime ministerial candidate, is in favour of forming a cabinet of around 15 members. After the RSP emerged on the national scene from the 2022 elections, Lamichhane dominated decision-making but this time the party has two prominent leaders who will take a joint call, said Khanal.

Shah wants to install an administration representing experts from different fields to help his government, said another RSP leader. The exact size of the Cabinet and the administration is yet to be discussed. One would not be surprised if Shah “constituted an administration of 100 experts,” the leader said, asking not to be named.

This time, the RSP leader said, the party wants to make several departures, on Cabinet formation, oath-taking, and the functioning of government.

The meeting will also decide to amend the party charter, paving the way for Shah to become prime minister.

Without amending the charter, Shah cannot become the prime minister. The party is planning to revise Article 66 of the party statute that concerns election of the parliamentary party leader. Article 66(8) of the statute currently provides that the party’s general members select the parliamentary party leader.

Clause 66(8)(a) states: “Before the federal election, among the candidates selected by the party for the federal election under both the proportional and direct categories, an election shall be held among the interested candidates to choose the leader of the House of Representatives parliamentary party. All general members of the party shall be eligible voters in the election [of the parliamentary party leader].”

But the party did not follow the procedure enshrined in the party charter prior to the March 5 polls.

The charter’s provision allowing not just RSP lawmakers but also ordinary party members to elect the parliamentary party leader is in conflict with Section 25 of the Political Parties Act, 2017.

The Act states: “In accordance with the directives of the concerned party, members of the parliamentary party in the federal parliament or Provincial Assembly shall elect one among themselves as the leader of the parliamentary party.”

On December 28, Lamichhane and Shah signed a seven-point agreement that Lamichhane remains the central chairperson of the Rastriya Swatantra Party while Shah will become the parliamentary party leader after the House of Representatives elections.

After amending the statute, the RSP will elect Shah the parliamentary party leader. President Ramchandra Paudel will then appoint him the prime minister. As the RSP holds a single-party majority in the House of Representatives, the President will appoint its parliamentary party leader the prime minister.

“Due to the illness of two leaders, we have yet to discuss other nitty-gritty, such as what the new government can offer in the first 100 days,” said Khanal. “We have promised to cut the Cabinet size to 18 so the new Cabinet would not be bigger than that.”

As some party leaders and sections of the media speculate that Shah will form a cabinet entirely with experts who are non-parliamentarians, Khanal said there would be no such arrangement this time.

“We have to amend the constitution first to appoint ministers from outside Parliament,” he explained.