Voting commenced Thursday in Nepal to choose 275 members of the country’s lower parliamentary chamber, marking a key political development six months after Gen Z-driven protests forced former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli from office.
The House of Representatives of Nepal, originally elected in November 2022 for a five-year term, was dissolved last September during the height of nationwide demonstrations led largely by members of Generation Z.
During the protests, demonstrators set fire to the parliament building, the prime minister’s office, the Supreme Court of Nepal, and several private business establishments while demanding an end to corruption and widening social inequalities. The unrest resulted in the deaths of more than 70 people.
The political crisis forced Oli to step down, paving the way for retired jurist Sushila Karki to assume leadership as interim head of government.
Karki’s interim administration scheduled fresh elections within six months of taking office, in line with commitments to restore democratic governance.
About 19 million registered voters are expected to participate in the exercise, electing 165 lawmakers to the lower chamber through the first-past-the-post voting system. An additional 110 seats will be allocated through a proportional representation mechanism.
The upper legislative chamber, the National Assembly of Nepal, is chosen indirectly by elected representatives from the federal parliament and provincial assemblies.
Election authorities said more than 900,000 voters are casting ballots for the first time. Many among the younger electorate have expressed support for new political figures, seeking to replace what they describe as an aging and underperforming political class.
Former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah has emerged as a leading contender for the prime ministerial position.
Shah, a trained structural engineer, stepped down from his mayoral post to contest the parliamentary election in Jhapa-5, the constituency previously represented by Oli.
