Dr. Swarnim Wagle () is a prominent South Asian economist and a member of Nepal's Federal Parliament since April 2023, having been elected in a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

from the seat of Tanahun 1 vacated when the incumbent became the third President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. He is currently the vice-chair of the

Rastriya Swatantra Party The Rastriya Swatantra Party (, RSP; , NIP) is a Centrism, centrist political party in Nepal. The party was running as a coalition partner in Dahal cabinet, 2022, Prachanda-led government with four cabinet ministries from 6 March 2024 to 12 July ...

. Wagle previously served as vice-chair of the National Planning Commission from August 2017 to February 2018, and was a member of the Commission for two terms, from May 2014 to November 2015, and September 2016 to August 2017. Wagle played a key policy role in reconstruction in the immediate aftermath of the devastating Nepal earthquakes of 2015 that claimed about 9000 lives. Between 2020 and 2022, during the Covid-19 pandemic, he was the Chief Economic Advisor at the

United Nations Development Program The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries Poverty reduction, eliminate poverty and achieve Sustainable development, sustainable economic growth and Human development (economics), hu ...

Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific in New York covering 36 countries.

Political career

In March 2023, Wagle, who had for decades been a member of the

Nepali Congress The Nepali Congress ( ; Abbreviation, abbr. NC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a Social democracy, social democratic List of political parties in Nepal, political party in Nepal and the largest party in the country ...

, joined the

to contest the by-election in Tanahun 1. Wagle secured a landslide victory, defeating the Nepali Congress candidate by a margin of nearly 15,000 votes, and receiving 55 percent of the total votes cast. In November 2023, Wagle was elevated to the position of vice-chair of the Rastriya Swatantra Party.

Electoral history

2023 Tanahun–1 by-election

Personal life

In October 2019, Wagle was appointed chair of the Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS), a South Asian policy think tank established in Kathmandu in 1979. Outside Nepal, he has worked as an economic policy specialist in international organizations like

and the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

intermittently between 1997 and 2022. As Chief Economic Advisor of the UNDP Asia-Pacific (2020-2022), he co-edited "The Great Upheaval" published by Cambridge University Press, and led high-profile policy advisory missions to crisis-hit countries like Sri Lanka. He holds high academic degrees from the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

. He is married and has one son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagle, Swarnim Nepalese economists Living people Harvard Kennedy School alumni People from Gorkha District Year of birth missing (living people) Alumni of the London School of Economics Australian National University alumni Rastriya Swatantra Party politicians Nepal MPs 2022–present