Nepal votes after Gen Z uprising, turnout reaches about 60%

Nepal recorded an estimated 60 per cent voter turnout on Thursday as citizens voted in crucial parliamentary elections held months after a wave of Gen Z-led protests forced the fall of former prime minister K P Sharma Oli’s government.

Polling began at 7 am across the Himalayan nation and concluded at 5 pm , with more than 18.9 million eligible voters casting ballots to elect members of the 275-seat House of Representatives . Of the total seats, 165 lawmakers are being elected through the first-past-the-post system , while 110 seats will be filled through proportional representation .

Voting was largely peaceful across the country, with only minor incidents reported at a few polling locations. Authorities had deployed over 300,000 security personnel under a coordinated security plan involving the Nepal Army to ensure a smooth electoral process.

Turnout gradually increased through the day. According to the Election Commission, about six per cent of voters had cast ballots by 9.30 am , rising to 10.18 per cent by 11 am and around 18 per cent by noon , with approximately 3.16 million voters participating by midday . The figure climbed steadily as polling continued, eventually reaching around 60 per cent by the close of voting .

The elections are the first national polls since youth-led demonstrations in September last year that demanded stronger action against corruption, nepotism and weak governance. The protests led to the collapse of Oli’s coalition government despite its strong parliamentary majority.

Following the political turmoil, President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved the House of Representatives and appointed Sushila Karki as caretaker prime minister to oversee fresh elections.

The vote has been seen as a contest between established political parties and emerging forces advocating generational change. The Nepali Congress , led by prime ministerial candidate Gagan Thapa , and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) headed by Oli are facing a strong challenge from the Rastriya Swotantra Party (RSP) led by former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah .

Election officials said counting of votes will begin immediately after ballot boxes are collected , with early results expected within 24 hours for directly elected seats.