Dol Prasad Aryal, the vice-president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), has been elected as the Speaker of Nepal’s House of Representatives. Aryal, who was the sole nominee for the position, became the 10th Speaker of the lower house and the first non-communist to hold this role in almost twenty years. With the RSP holding a significant majority in the 275-member House of Representatives, Aryal’s appointment was largely expected.
In the recent elections on March 5, the RSP secured 182 seats, making it the largest party in the lower house. Aryal, who won from the Kathmandu-9 constituency, defeated his closest rival by a considerable margin. Born in Maidi, now Jwalamukhi Rural Municipality, Aryal’s journey from a labourer to a prominent leader is noteworthy.
Having started his career as a labourer in Kathmandu in the early 1990s and later working in Japan for nearly eight years, Aryal ventured into various businesses upon his return to Nepal. He has been involved in sectors like tourism, education, cooperatives, and remittance services, holding executive positions in several ventures. Aryal, a founding member and vice-chairperson of the RSP, has also served as the party’s acting chair in the past.
