Nepal’s new government led by Balen Shah has moved swiftly to push forward an ambitious governance reform agenda, placing decades of political leadership under financial scrutiny.
At its first Cabinet meeting, the government endorsed a 100-point reform plan, including the formation of a powerful asset investigation committee. The body will examine the wealth of senior political figures and high-ranking officials who have held public office since the 2006 People’s Movement, with an earlier phase set to review those from the pre-2006 period.
The move has already sent shockwaves through the political landscape. Within 12 hours of the government’s formation, authorities detained former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli along with former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and former minister Deepak Khadka, intensifying public and political debate.
Since the fall of the monarchy in 2006, Nepal has seen 18 governments led by 11 prime ministers, including figures such as Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Sher Bahadur Deuba, and Baburam Bhattarai. Over the past two decades, the country has also had dozens of deputy prime ministers, more than 150 ministers, and numerous state and assistant ministers.
The scale of the proposed investigation has drawn widespread attention, as it could potentially affect a large section of Nepal’s political elite. While details of the probe process are yet to be made public, the government’s early actions suggest a hardline approach aimed at accountability and institutional reform.
The coming weeks are likely to test both the government’s resolve and the resilience of Nepal’s political establishment.
