KATHMANDU: The CPN-UML has acknowledged serious organisational and political weaknesses behind its humiliating defeat in the March 5 election, with its election review report calling for leadership transition, greater youth participation, and a departure from traditional political slogans.
The Election Review and Party Reorganisation Task Force, comprising Vice Chairman Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’ and General Secretary Shankar Pokharel, has started discussions on the report.
However, Chairman KP Sharma Oli, who is in a minority in the party Secretariat, has not yet agreed to table the report before the party committee. The report has not been adopted amid disagreements over the party’s failure to secure a majority in the Central Committee.
Oli, who rejected the report prepared by General Secretary Pokharel, has prepared a separate report through Vice Chairman Badal. Pokharel’s report also recommends that Chairman Oli step down from the party leadership.
Against this backdrop, Pokharel’s report has described the UML’s defeat in the March 5 election as a “historic and shameful defeat.” The report states that the party has been severely weakened following the election results and that cadres are deeply disappointed.
The report concludes that the UML’s electoral base has been declining continuously since the 2079 BS election and that its vote share fell significantly due to propaganda and confusion during the election campaign.
The UML considers its failure to properly explain the events of September 8-9, 2025 (Gen-Z protests) to the public as one of the major reasons for its electoral defeat. The report states that the party failed to present the facts and truth about those events, properly assess the political environment that emerged afterwards, and dispel the confusion created by them.
The report states that while the Gen-Z protest of September 9, 2025 should be accepted as a democratic exercise, the party has been unable to develop a clear position on the violent incidents that occurred that day.
The UML also considers interference by its own party leaders and cadres in the election process to have contributed to the defeat.
According to the report, there were attempts from within the party to eliminate certain candidates, but effective action was not taken against those involved. The report also questions the process of disciplinary action, stating that some leaders were targeted based on their activities and propaganda on social media.
The UML’s election review report has pointed out serious shortcomings in candidate selection and ticket distribution. It notes a tendency to impose candidates from the centre while ignoring local geography, recommendations from lower-level committees, and suggestions from cadres.
The report also states that candidates who are unpopular among voters and those who have repeatedly received opportunities were again nominated. It adds that tickets were also given to the children and relatives of some leaders, further increasing public dissatisfaction.
The report has suggested that the authority to select candidates be given to the relevant local and provincial committees and that candidates be chosen through a primary election process.
The UML’s election review report also prominently raises the issue of leadership transition and generational change. It states that people, particularly young voters, have become increasingly frustrated with the prolonged leadership of the same individuals.
The report concludes that the removal of the 70-year age limit and the two-term provision from the party statute has increased frustration among cadres. It suggests combining the experience of the older generation with the energy of the younger generation to bring new faces into leadership and maintaining a certain ratio between the two generations in leadership selection.
As part of its party reorganisation proposals, the report calls for reconsideration of the large committee structure. It suggests reducing the current 300-member Central Committee and making it more agile, functional, and effective. According to the report, the oversized committee has made it difficult to hold meetings regularly and weakened the decision-making process.
The report also recommends making lower-level committees more regular and active and running the organisation through an institutional rather than an individual-based system. It identifies factionalism and the culture of secret meetings within the UML as major reasons for the weakening of the organisation.
The report states that party committees are not meeting regularly, committee decisions are not being institutionalised, and the culture of criticism and self-criticism is weak.
It recommends that the party be run through an institutional system rather than personal and secret meetings, while strengthening and activating the committee system. The UML has also acknowledged that its relationship with the younger generation and new voters weakened during the last election.
The report states that the party has failed to connect with new and young voters below the age of 30. It also says that the party’s failure to properly explain the Gen-Z protests has weakened their trust in the UML.
The report suggests that, as part of the party’s restructuring, young people should be involved in decision-making processes rather than being limited to the role of cadres.
The UML has concluded that it was weak in social media and digital campaigning during the election. The report notes that the party is lagging behind in the competition involving national and international media and social media platforms. It also points out that the party failed to respond promptly to confusion and misinformation spread through digital media.
The report recommends immediately formulating a special strategy for digital campaigning, social media management, and engagement with the younger generation.
The UML has concluded that its political agenda must change in the coming days. The report suggests that the economic opportunities sought by the younger generation, good governance, the digital economy, and job creation should become the party’s main agendas instead of relying on traditional political slogans.
The report also states that while preserving the core essence of ‘people’s multiparty democracy’, the concept should be practically reinterpreted in the current context of open markets, technology, and globalisation.
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