Nineteen million eligible voters are heading to the polls to choose 275 lawmakers in the Himalayan nation.
Polls have opened in Nepal for the country’s first general election since the violent protests last September that overthrew the government of K. P. Sharma Oli.
Following the uprising, known as the ‘Gen Z protests,’ which resulted in 77 fatalities and over 2,000 injuries, the parliament was dissolved. A caretaker government under former Chief Justice Sushila Karki has been overseeing the nation since that time.
Voting began at 7:00 AM local time across 23,000 stations and is scheduled to conclude at 5:00 PM.
To facilitate travel for voters in the nation of 30 million people, the interim government has announced a three-day public holiday.
In addition to established parties like the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), new political groups are also competing, including the Rastriya Swotantra Party Nepal (formed in 2022), Shram Sanskriti Party, and Ujjalo Nepal.
Reports indicate that the Election Commission will release the results for the constituencies within two days.
The outcome for the remaining 110 seats, which are allocated through proportional representation, is expected to become clear after an additional two days.
In a January interview with RT India, former Prime Minister Oli stated that the Gen Z protests which unseated his government were unusual and had been .
According to a December report by the independent US outlet The Grayzone, a US-backed regime-change agency the September coup in Nepal.
Balendra Shah, a former rapper selected as the lead candidate for the Rastriya Swotantra Party Nepal, is Oli in the Jhapa-5 constituency.