Nepal has entered a new phase. With the results out for the latest election to the House of Representatives, the people have given an unprecedented landslide victory to the new Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which was formed ahead of the last election in 2022.Rising to new heights of popularity post the Gen Z movement of September 8 and 9, 2025 that led to the ousting of the then-Oli government, the RSP led by its president Rabi Lamichhane but with Balendra ‘Balen’ Shah as its prime ministerial candidate has trounced all established old parties in a move that has given it a mandate Nepal has never seen in decades.A few observations:The unholy alliances among various parties over the last 35 years or so – including all governments formed after the reinstation of a multiparty, competitive and democratic process in 2008 – were akin to a game of musical chairs: they were forged without any common minimum programme or any ideological base.It seemed like these coalitions were formed just to suit the ambitions of a few individuals, who not only failed to deliver governance but also ignored the main issues prevailing in Nepal. The people’s basic aspirations were blatantly ignored and corruption was rampant among these political leaders and governments of the day.Successive governments failed to address the aspirations of the people who were struggling to meet the growing challenges in society. Basic real issues like poverty, unemployment, the exodus of people (largely youth) for job opportunities abroad and the lack of basic facilities were ignored. All these problems grew into a source of festering discontent among Nepal’s youth.An aspiration to look for an alternative was seen in the support to the RSP in the 2022 election, in which it was a new entrant. Although its numbers were decisive, the party fell into the trap of the old political guard, and multiple alliances over three years failed on all fronts.Finally, the youth under the banner of ‘Gen Z’ took to the streets on September 8, 2025, defying all oppressive measures by the ruling coalition. In less than 20 hours, the movement turned so violent that more than 70 people were killed, paving way for a new beginning in Nepal.The time had come for the old guard to admit their failures and give way to the new generation to lead Nepal. All the old political forces had failed to read the writing on the wall.The first president of Nepal, Ram Baran Yadav, in various conversations with this author expressed his displeasure about several alliances being formed without any ideological balance and cautioned that if not corrected soon, Nepal would face a vacuum. The vacuum that was created by the old political forces ended up being filled by the new force of the RSP and the aspiring Gen Z of Nepal.The mandate of the recently concluded election is clear: that change is inevitable and the big challenges facing the country should be the priority of the incumbent government led by the RSP, which has won an absolute majority.The RSP must come out with a clear roadmap to address Nepal’s various domestic issues, including growing unemployment, poverty, housing and healthcare, and define its economic and foreign policy against the background of the complex regional issues the country is grappling with. An ideological direction is needed to address the geopolitical issues at whose crossroads Nepal finds itself.The author is secretary general of the South Asia Foundation and director general of the South Asia Centre for Peace Research and Sustainable Development (established by SAF-Nepal in collaboration with the Lumbini Buddhist University).