The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (; ; , ()) is a liberal democratic, constitutional monarchist and Hindu nationalist political party in Nepal. The party was formed by Panchayat era prime ministers Surya Bahadur Thapa and Lokendra Bahadur Chand in 1990. The party led two coalition governments in 1997 under Thapa and Chand. The two were also appointed prime minister by King Gyanendra in the 2000s; Chand in 2002 and Thapa in 2003. Rajendra Prasad Lingden is currently serving as party chairman after being elected at the party's general convention in December 2021. Rastriya Prajatantra Party is currently the fifth-largest political party in the House of Representatives after winning 14 seats at the 2022 general election and is one of seven national parties recognized by the Election Commission. The party is part of the ruling coalition in Nepal with Ligden serving as deputy prime minister and Ministry of Energy along with two other ministers and a state minister. History Founding and early years, 1990–1994 The Rastriya Prajatantra Party was formed by the ruling elite of the Panchayat era on 29 May 1990. The party split in the same year after another group also registered itself with the Election Commission. Thee two parties had the same name, ideology and statute but different flags and election symbols. The two parties, one led by Surya Bahadur Thapa zand the other led by Lokendra Bahadur Chand, contested the 1991 elections. The two parties won four seats between them with Chand's party winning three seats and Thapa's party winning one seat. Following their performance at the elections the two parties agreed to merge into a single Rastriya Prajatantra Party on 8 February 1992. The party held its first general convention from in 1992 from 11 to 16 June in Kathmandu and unanimously elected Surya Bahadur Thapa as its chairman. Lokendra Bahadur Chand and Rajeshwor Devkota were elected leader and co-chairman, respectively. The party emerged as a third force at the 1992 local elections and the 1994 general elections. The party received 18 percent of the votes and won 20 seats to the House of Representatives, making them the third largest party in the parliament. Government and second split, 1995–1999 Coalition governments, 1995–1997 The party initially supported the minority government of CPN (UML) but later withdrew their support and backed a no-confidence motion against prime minister Manmohan Adhikari. The party then joined a coalition government with Nepali Congress