"conversion crisis"

#13203966

16 January 2026

Senior Nepali Congress leader Shekhar Koirala (standing) addresses the meeting held at the Election Commission Office after the commencement of the special general convention of the party called by rival factions led by Gagan Thapa and Bishwoprakash Sharma in Kathmandu, Nepal, on January 16, 2026. The internal rift within the Nepali Congress deepens after a special general convention is organized without the consent of party president Sher Bahadur Deuba. The convention, held at Bhrikutimandap in Kathmandu, elects Gagan Thapa as party president. Following the convention, the Deuba faction accuses Thapa and his allies of organizing an ''illegal'' gathering and subsequently expels Thapa, along with leaders Bishwa Prakash Sharma and Farmullah Mansoor, from the party. Since then, the country's oldest democratic party remains effectively split into two rival factions.

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#13203961

16 January 2026

Senior Nepali Congress leader Shekhar Koirala addresses the meeting held at the Election Commission Office after the commencement of the special general convention of the party called by rival factions led by Gagan Thapa and Bishwoprakash Sharma in Kathmandu, Nepal, on January 16, 2026. The internal rift within the Nepali Congress deepens after a special general convention is organized without the consent of party president Sher Bahadur Deuba. The convention, held at Bhrikutimandap in Kathmandu, elects Gagan Thapa as party president. Following the convention, the Deuba faction accuses Thapa and his allies of organizing an ''illegal'' gathering and subsequently expels Thapa, along with leaders Bishwa Prakash Sharma and Farmullah Mansoor, from the party. Since then, the country's oldest democratic party remains effectively split into two rival factions.

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#13204072

16 January 2026

Former acting Nepali Congress President Purna Bahadur Khadka (center in brown cap) addresses the media following the decision of the Election Commission in Kathmandu, Nepal, on January 16, 2026. The internal rift within the Nepali Congress deepens after a special general convention is organized without the consent of party president Sher Bahadur Deuba. The convention, held at Bhrikutimandap in Kathmandu, elects Gagan Thapa as party president. Following the convention, the Deuba faction accuses Thapa and his allies of organizing an ''illegal'' gathering and subsequently expels Thapa, along with leaders Bishwa Prakash Sharma and Farmullah Mansoor, from the party. Since then, the country's oldest democratic party remains effectively split into two rival factions.

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#13204073

16 January 2026

Prakash Sharan Mahat, the former Finance Minister, is escorted by a group of cadres outside the Election Commission in Kathmandu, Nepal, on January 16, 2026. The internal rift within the Nepali Congress deepens after a special general convention is organized without the consent of party president Sher Bahadur Deuba. The convention, held at Bhrikutimandap in Kathmandu, elects Gagan Thapa as party president. Following the convention, the Deuba faction accuses Thapa and his allies of organizing an ''illegal'' gathering and subsequently expels Thapa, along with leaders Bishwa Prakash Sharma and Farmullah Mansoor, from the party. Since then, the country's oldest democratic party remains effectively split into two rival factions.

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#13203930

16 January 2026

Former Home Minister and Senior Nepali Congress leader Bimalendra Nidhi (center in black overcoat) is escorted by a group of cadres outside the Election Commission in Kathmandu, Nepal, on January 16, 2026. The internal rift within the Nepali Congress deepens after a special general convention is organized without the consent of party president Sher Bahadur Deuba. The convention, held at Bhrikutimandap in Kathmandu, elects Gagan Thapa as party president. Following the convention, the Deuba faction accuses Thapa and his allies of organizing an ''illegal'' gathering and subsequently expels Thapa, along with leaders Bishwa Prakash Sharma and Farmullah Mansoor, from the party. Since then, the country's oldest democratic party remains effectively split into two rival factions.

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#13161307

6 January 2026

Senior Nepali Congress Leader Bimalendra Nidhi arrives at the party office in Lalitpur, Nepal, on January 6, 2026. Dissent arises within the party, with the majority of the party central committee members claiming attempts to hold the party hostage by not holding the special convention ahead of the March polls. The party also is not able to convene the Central Working Committee meeting as per the schedule.

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#13161315

6 January 2026

Gagan Kumar Thapa, General Secretary of the Nepali Congress, arrives at the party office in Lalitpur, Nepal, on January 6, 2026. Dissent arises within the party, with the majority of the party central committee members claiming attempts to hold the party hostage by not holding the special convention ahead of the March polls. The party also is not able to convene the Central Working Committee meeting as per the schedule.

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#13161316

6 January 2026

Gagan Kumar Thapa, General Secretary of the Nepali Congress, arrives at the party office in Lalitpur, Nepal, on January 6, 2026. Dissent arises within the party, with the majority of the party central committee members claiming attempts to hold the party hostage by not holding the special convention ahead of the March polls. The party also is not able to convene the Central Working Committee meeting as per the schedule.

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#13063945

6 December 2025

(L to R) Comfort Ero, CEO & President of the International Crisis Group, Moderator, Jose Manuel Albares, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation of Spain, Badr Abdelatty, Foreign Minister of Egypt, Espen Barth Eide, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway, and Manal Radwan, Minister Plenipotentiary, Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, take part in a panel discussion during the 23rd edition of the Doha Forum 2025 at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel in Doha, Qatar, on December 6, 2025.

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#13063946

6 December 2025

(L to R) Comfort Ero, CEO & President of the International Crisis Group, Moderator, Jose Manuel Albares, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation of Spain, Badr Abdelatty, Foreign Minister of Egypt, Espen Barth Eide, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway, and Manal Radwan, Minister Plenipotentiary, Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, take part in a panel discussion during the 23rd edition of the Doha Forum 2025 at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel in Doha, Qatar, on December 6, 2025.

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#13063958

6 December 2025

(L to R) Comfort Ero, CEO & President of the International Crisis Group, Moderator, Jose Manuel Albares, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation of Spain, Badr Abdelatty, Foreign Minister of Egypt, Espen Barth Eide, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway, and Manal Radwan, Minister Plenipotentiary, Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, take part in a panel discussion during the 23rd edition of the Doha Forum 2025 at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel in Doha, Qatar, on December 6, 2025.

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#13063936

6 December 2025

Badr Abdelatty, Foreign Minister of Egypt, takes part in a panel discussion during the 23rd edition of the Doha Forum 2025 at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel in Doha, Qatar, on December 6, 2025.

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#13063937

6 December 2025

Badr Abdelatty, Foreign Minister of Egypt, takes part in a panel discussion during the 23rd edition of the Doha Forum 2025 at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel in Doha, Qatar, on December 6, 2025.

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#13063938

6 December 2025

Jose Manuel Albares, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation of Spain, takes part in a panel discussion during the 23rd edition of the Doha Forum 2025 at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel in Doha, Qatar, on December 6, 2025.

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#13063939

6 December 2025

Badr Abdelatty, Foreign Minister of Egypt, takes part in a panel discussion during the 23rd edition of the Doha Forum 2025 at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel in Doha, Qatar, on December 6, 2025.

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#13063940

6 December 2025

Manal Radwan, Minister Plenipotentiary, Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, takes part in a panel discussion during the 23rd edition of the Doha Forum 2025 at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel in Doha, Qatar, on December 6, 2025.

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