Nepal goes to polls in first general election since government-toppling Gen Z protests last year

On the morning of March 5, 2026, people in Nepal began arriving at polling stations to vote in important general elections. This is the first election since last year’s Gen Z protests that led to the fall of the government led by K. P. Sharma Oli. Over 18.9 million eligible voters will choose members for the 275-seat House of Representatives. There are 3,406 candidates competing for 165 seats through direct voting and 3,135 candidates for 110 seats through proportional voting. Voting started at 7 a.m. and will end at 5 p.m. Counting of the votes will begin as soon as the ballot boxes are collected. On March 4, 2026, Acting Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari held a press conference where he stated that all election preparations were finished. He encouraged voters to take part actively and with enthusiasm in this democratic process.