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PAKISTAN READER

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CWA # 2009, 8 March 2026
Nepal Elections 2026

  Sreemaya Nair

What happened?
On 05 March, Nepal held elections for the lower house (House of Representatives, HoR) after the Gen Z protest in September 2025 that overthrew the government.  The polling began at 0700 hrs. and concluded at 1700 hrs. A total of 18,903,689 voters were eligible to participate in the election, with the voter turnout estimated at around 60 per cent. As many as 3,484 individuals from 68 political parties and independents had registered their candidacies for the election.

On 08 March, according to media reports, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is leading the results. It has won around 116 seats so far and is leading in a few remaining constituencies. The Nepali Congress has won 17 seats so far, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) (CPN-UML) has won seven seats and the Communist Party of Nepal has secured won five seats so far. The final tally is likely to be announced early next week.

What is the background?
1. A brief note on the House of Representatives (HoR)
The HoR is one of the two houses of Nepal's federal Parliament, the other being the National Assembly. It consists of 275 members: 165 are elected from single-member constituencies using a First-Past-The-Post voting system, and 110 are elected through a proportional representation system, in which voters select political parties. Voters receive two ballots, one for the constituency candidate and one for a political party.

2. A brief note on the elections, and the Gen Z protests in September 2025
On 08 September, tens of thousands of youths flooded the streets of Kathmandu to protest against the blanket ban on 26 social media apps; 77 lives were lost, including 19 youths in school and college uniforms, who were protesting in front of the Parliament. On the same day, the then-prime minister KP Sharma Oli was forced to flee under army protection. Nepal’s Gen-Z activists used the Discord platform to hold large online discussions and polls on political reforms and leadership. An interim government was subsequently formed under Sushila Kargi, a former Chief Justice. Subsequently, she became Nepal’s first female PM and oversaw the election.

3. A short note on the key players
The main competition has been between the Nepali Congress (NC), Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) (CPN-UML), and the newer Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) led by Balendra Shah (Balen).  Balendra Shah is the former mayor of Kathmandu, a former rapper and a structural engineer by profession, who is competing against veteran leaders. The proportional vote count, now covering 26,17,844 votes entered nationwide, reinforces the sweep. The RSP has received 13,16,185 proportional votes, which is more than the combined total of every other party in the race. The NC is second with 4,48,614, followed by CPN-UML with 3,59,956, the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) with 1,73,208, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party with 94,489, and the Shram Sanskriti Party with 54,813.

4. Key electoral issues
Some of the most important electoral issues include the following: corruption, unemployment, and governance, prompting authorities to enforce silence-period regulations, alcohol bans, and media restrictions to safeguard fair polling.

What does it mean?
First, the early results suggest a significant change in Nepal’s political landscape with the RSP leading. This reflects growing public dissatisfaction with established parties and signaling the rise of a new generation of leadership, symbolized by figures like Balendra Shah.

Second, a potential shift toward reform-oriented governance in Nepal. RSP and other new movements challenge traditional political dominance in Nepal.  This election, therefore, represents more than a routine political process, it reflects changing voter priorities, youth political mobilisation, and demand for accountability.

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