Nepalese voters began casting ballots in a general election on Thursday that pits an entrenched political establishment against a rising youth-driven movement, nearly six months after mass protests forced the country’s prime minister to resign, reports The Guardian.
The vote is the first national election since the September 2025 uprising, when youth-led demonstrations swept across the Himalayan nation. At least 77 people were killed during the unrest, while parliament and numerous government buildings were set ablaze.
Nearly 19 million eligible voters are choosing a new government to replace the interim administration installed after the protests.
The demonstrations, organised loosely under a generation-Z banner, initially erupted over a short-lived ban on social media but quickly grew into a broader movement fuelled by frustration with corruption, political stagnation and a struggling economy.
Interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki has urged citizens to vote “without any fear” as security forces deployed thousands of soldiers and police officers to polling centres across the country.
The election has drawn an unusually large number of younger candidates promising political reform and economic revival. They are challenging veteran leaders who have dominated Nepal’s politics for decades and argue that experience remains vital for stability.
“This election is not a normal election,” said Sashi Gurung, a 33-year-old voter in Kathmandu. “This is going to be one of the changing points for Nepalis, for Nepal.”
Among the most prominent figures contesting the election are former prime minister KP Sharma Oli, a Marxist leader seeking to return to office, former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, and Gagan Thapa, the recently elected leader of the Nepali Congress party.
Oli, 74, lost power last year but is now attempting a political comeback. He faces a direct challenge in his home constituency from Shah, a 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician who has become a prominent voice for younger voters.
The two are contesting the Jhapa-5 constituency in eastern Nepal, where about 163,000 voters will decide whether Oli retains his parliamentary seat or Shah enters the national legislature.
Shah represents the centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party and has positioned himself as a symbol of generational change, encouraging voters to “ring the bell” of reform, referencing the party’s election symbol.
Also competing for the premiership is Gagan Thapa, 49, who heads the Nepali Congress, the country’s oldest political party. Thapa has pledged to dismantle what he described as an “old age” political club dominated by long-serving leaders.
“So many people, including gen Z, sacrificed their lives,” said Shiv Shrestha, 57, a voter in Jhapa district.
“There has to be change. Corruption must stop, and more employment opportunities should be created here in Nepal.”
While the contest has national significance, attention has centred on Nepal’s southern plains, where several leading candidates are running. Traditionally, major political battles have focused on the capital Kathmandu, but this election has shifted attention beyond the city.
Across the country’s rugged landscape, authorities faced logistical challenges delivering election materials to remote regions.
Helicopters were used to transport ballot papers and other equipment to mountain districts blanketed in snow, including areas near some of the world’s highest peaks such as Mount Everest.
The election commission said similar aircraft would also be used to retrieve ballot boxes from isolated areas once voting ends.
More than 3,400 candidates are contesting 165 seats through direct elections for the 275-member House of Representatives, Nepal’s lower chamber of parliament.
An additional 110 seats will be filled through proportional representation using party lists.
Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari said authorities aimed to announce results from the directly elected seats within 24 hours after vote counting begins.
“We will also use helicopters to collect them,” he told reporters, referring to ballot boxes from remote locations.
Results under the proportional representation system are expected to take longer to finalise.
Analysts say the vote is unlikely to produce a clear parliamentary majority for any single party, raising the prospect of coalition negotiations that could extend for several days after results are announced.
