Kathmandu, April 5 (ANI) — Dol Prasad (DP) Aryal, vice president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), was unanimously elected Speaker of the House of Representatives on Sunday after standing as the sole nominee. The result was announced at a parliamentary meeting by senior-most member Arjun Narsingha KC, who cited the relevant House rules in declaring Aryal elected unopposed.
Aryal filed his candidacy on Friday with the backing of RSP chair Rabi Lamichhane and support from ministers Swarnim Wagle, Sobita Gautam and Sunil Lamsal. Elected from Kathmandu-9 in the 2026 general election, he becomes the 10th Speaker of the lower house and the first non-communist to hold the post in 18 years.
Born in Maidi, Dhading in 1974, Aryal moved to Kathmandu in 1992 to seek work, initially taking jobs as a restaurant labourer and later working as a tourist guide. He spent time in Japan for work and study and has been involved in education, tourism and business. Aryal entered active politics when the RSP was formed in 2079 BS and was a founding central member.
Within three and a half years of the party’s founding, Aryal has risen to one of the country’s highest offices. He has twice served as Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security and assumed the role of acting party chair during a period of internal crisis while serving as vice president. Widely regarded within the RSP as calm and composed, Aryal has now won two consecutive elections from Kathmandu-9 and will take on the impartial and prestigious responsibilities of Speaker. (ANI)
