The position of a prime minister of Nepal (Nepali: नेपालको प्रधानमन्त्री|translit=Nepālko Pradhānmantrī) in modern form was called by different names at different times of Nepalese history. During the reign of the Shah kings, the Mulkajis (Chief Kajis) or Chautariyas served as prime ministers in a council of 4 Chautariyas, 4 Kajis, and sundry officers. These Bharadars (officers) were drawn from high caste and politically influential families such as the Pande, Basnyat, and Thapa families. The nobility of Gorkha was mainly based from Chhetri families and they had a strong presence in civil administration affairs. All prime ministers of Nepal between 1768 and 1950 were Chhetris with the exception of Ranga Nath Poudyal, being a Khas Brahmin. Of the 23 men who have been elected since Nepal attained democracy from the Ranas in 1951, 15 have been Khas Brahmin, 3 Thakuri, 2 Newar Shresthas, 2 Chhetri, and 1 Sanyasi/Dasnami.[1] The executive power allocation was fluctuating between Kajis and Chautariyas.
In 1804, a single authoritative position of Mukhtiyar was created by Rana Bahadur Shah which carried the executive powers of nation.[2] Mukhtiyar held the position of head of the executive until the adoption of the title of Prime Minister in November 1843 by Mathabar Singh Thapa who became Mukhtiyar as well as Prime Minister and the Chief of the Nepalese Army.[3] During the Rana dynasty, the position of prime minister was hereditary and the officeholder held additional titles – Maharaja of Lamjang and Kaski, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of Nepal and Grand Master of the Royal Orders of Nepal.
After the revolution of 1951, non-aristocratic citizens like Matrika Prasad Koirala held the position of prime minister still under the authority of the King of Nepal. The first general election was held in 1959 and Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala became the first elected prime minister of Nepal. However, he was deposed and imprisoned in the 1960 coup d'état by King Mahendra who went on to establish an oligarchic authoritative regime, the Panchayat system, and Nepal did not have a democratic government until 1990. After the Jana Andolan movement in 1990, the country became a constitutional monarchy. However, this was interrupted with the 2005 coup d'état by King Gyanendra. After the Loktantrik Andolan movement in 2006, the monarchy was abolished on 28 May 2008 by the 1st Constituent Assembly and the country was declared a federal parliamentary republic. The current constitution was adopted on 20 September 2015, and the first prime minister under this new constitution was KP Sharma Oli.
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Title | King | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | |||||
| 1 | Vamsharaj Pande | Dewan | Pratap Singh Shah | |||
| 2 | Swarup Singh Karki | Dewan | ||||
| 3 | Sarbajit Rana Magar | Kaji/Mulkaji | Rana Bahadur Shah | |||
| Vamsharaj Pande | Dewan/Mantri–Nayak | |||||
| 4 | Abhiman Singh Basnyat | Mulkaji | ||||
| — | Bahadur Shah of Nepal | Mul–Chautariya | ||||
| 5 | Kirtiman Singh Basnyat | Mulkaji | ||||
| Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah | ||||||
| 6 | Bakhtawar Singh Basnyat | Mulkaji | ||||
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | King | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | ||||
| 1 | Damodar Pande | February 1803 | March 1804 | Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah | |
| — | Rana Bahadur Shah | 1804 | 25 April 1806 | ||
| 2 | Bhimsen Thapa | 1806 | July 1837 | ||
| Rajendra Bikram Shah | |||||
| 3 | Rana Jang Pande | 1837 | 1837 | ||
| 4 | Ranga Nath Poudyal | October 1837 | August 1838 | ||
| 5 | Chautariya Puskhar Shah | October 1838 | 1839 | ||
| Rana Jang Pande | April 1839 | 1840 | |||
| Ranga Nath Poudyal | 1840 | 1840 | |||
| 6 | Fateh Jung Shah | November 1840 | January 1843 | ||
| 7 | Mathabar Singh Thapa | November 1843 | 17 May 1845 | ||
| Fateh Jung Shah | September 1845 | 14 September 1846 | |||
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | King | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Days | ||||
| 8 | Jung Bahadur Rana | 15 September 1846 | 1 August 1856 | Surendra Bikram Shah | ||
| 9 | Bam Bahadur Kunwar | 1 August 1856 | 25 May 1857 | |||
| — | Krishna Bahadur Kunwar Rana | 25 May 1857 | 28 June 1857 | |||
| Jung Bahadur Rana | 28 June 1857 | 25 February 1877 | ||||
| 10 | Ranodip Singh Kunwar | 27 February 1877 | 22 November 1885 | |||
| Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah | ||||||
| 11 | Bir Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana | 22 November 1885 | 5 March 1901 | |||
| 12 | Dev Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana | 5 March 1901 | 27 June 1901 | |||
| 13 | Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana | 27 June 1901 | 26 November 1929 | |||
| Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah | ||||||
| 14 | Bhim Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana | 26 November 1929 | 1 September 1932 | |||
| 15 | Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana | 1 September 1932 | 29 November 1945 | |||
| 16 | Padma Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana | 29 November 1945 | 30 April 1948 | |||
| 17 | Mohan Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana | 30 April 1948 | 12 November 1951 | |||
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Election(s) | Political party | Cabinet | King | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Days | ||||||||
| 18 | Matrika Prasad Koirala | 16 November 1951 | 14 August 1952 | — | Nepali Congress | M. P. Koirala I | Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah | |||
| — | Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah | 14 August 1952 | 15 June 1953 | — | ||||||
| Matrika Prasad Koirala | 15 June 1953 | 11 April 1955 | — | Rastriya Praja Party | M. P. Koirala II | |||||
| Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah | ||||||||||
| — | Surya Bahadur Thapa | 11 April 1955 | 14 April 1955 | — | ||||||
| — | Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah | 14 April 1955 | 27 January 1956 | — | ||||||
| 19 | Tanka Prasad Acharya | 27 January 1956 | 26 July 1957 | — | Nepal Praja Parishad | Acharya | ||||
| 20 | Kunwar Indrajit Singh | 26 July 1957 | 15 May 1958 | United Democratic Party | Singh | |||||
| 21 | Subarna Shamsher Rana | 15 May 1958 | 27 May 1959 | Nepali Congress | Rana | |||||
| 22 | Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala | 27 May 1959 | 15 December 1960 | 1959 | B. P. Koirala | |||||
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | King | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Days | ||||
| — | Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah | 15 December 1960 | 2 April 1963 | Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah | ||
| 23 | Tulsi Giri | 2 April 1963 | 23 December 1963 | |||
| 24 | Surya Bahadur Thapa | 23 December 1963 | 26 February 1964 | |||
| Tulsi Giri | 26 February 1964 | 26 January 1965 | ||||
| Surya Bahadur Thapa | 26 January 1965 | 7 April 1969 | ||||
| 25 | Kirti Nidhi Bista | 7 April 1969 | 13 April 1970 | |||
| – | Gehendra Bahadur Rajbhandari | 13 April 1970 | 14 April 1971 | |||
| Kirti Nidhi Bista | 14 April 1971 | 16 July 1973 | ||||
| Birendra Bir Bikram Shah | ||||||
| 26 | Nagendra Prasad Rijal | 16 July 1973 | 1 December 1975 | |||
| Tulsi Giri | 1 December 1975 | 12 September 1977 | ||||
| Kirti Nidhi Bista | 12 September 1977 | 30 May 1979 | ||||
| Surya Bahadur Thapa | 30 May 1979 | 12 July 1983 | ||||
| 27 | Lokendra Bahadur Chand | 12 July 1983 | 21 March 1986 | |||
| Nagendra Prasad Rijal | 21 March 1986 | 15 June 1986 | ||||
| 28 | Marich Man Singh Shrestha | 15 June 1986 | 6 April 1990 | |||
| Lokendra Bahadur Chand | 6 April 1990 | 19 April 1990 | ||||