The Aryavarth Express
Nepal: Nepal began voting in its 2026 general elections on Thursday, with interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki casting her vote at the Dhapasi polling centre in Kathmandu.
After voting, Karki said her administrative responsibility during the interim period had come to an end. “My duty is completed,” she told, marking what many see as a key moment in Nepal’s transition back to an elected government following months of political turmoil.
The snap polls were triggered by the mass youth-led “Gen Z movement” in September, which led to the fall of the coalition government headed by former prime minister K. P. Sharma Oli. The protests ultimately resulted in the dissolution of the House of Representatives and the appointment of Karki as interim executive head on September 12.
According to the Election Commission of Nepal, all arrangements have been finalised to conduct free and fair elections after a six-month interim administration. Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari said voters have been urged to exercise their franchise without fear during the 10-hour polling period.
A total of 18,903,689 registered voters are eligible to cast ballots to decide the fate of 6,541 candidates contesting for 275 seats in the House of Representatives of Nepal. The voter base has increased by more than 915,000 people since 2022, with nearly 52 per cent belonging to the 18–40 age group, highlighting the growing influence of younger voters.
Under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system, 3,406 candidates are competing for 165 seats, including 2,263 candidates from 65 political parties and 1,143 independents. The remaining 110 seats will be filled through proportional representation, with 63 parties submitting a combined list of 3,135 candidates, equally divided between male and female nominees.
However, gender representation remains uneven among direct candidates, with 3,017 men and 388 women contesting, and only one candidate representing the sexual and gender minority community. Most candidates are aged between 41 and 60, while only 201 contenders are under 30.
To maintain security, authorities have deployed 341,113 personnel across 10,963 polling stations, including 149,000 temporary election police. A Security Council meeting chaired by Karki on Wednesday expressed confidence that the electoral environment would be more transparent than in previous cycles.
Officials also said helicopters will be used to transport ballot boxes from remote mountainous regions to speed up counting. The Election Commission expects the first-past-the-post results to begin emerging within 24 hours after vote counting starts.
Voter turnout in the last general election in 2022 stood at 61.4 per cent, while Nepal’s historical average participation since 2006 has been 69.4 per cent. Authorities hope strong youth engagement in this election will help boost turnout.
