Nepal began voting on Thursday, March 5, 2026, to elect a new parliament, marking the first national election since the government fell six months ago following a deadly anti-corruption uprising. The vote, running until 5 p.m. local time, is being described as one of the most competitive since the end of the civil war in 2006. Around 19 million registered voters are choosing representatives to replace the interim government that has ruled since the September 2025 protests.

The 2025 Gen Z–led movement began as opposition to a temporary social media ban but grew into a nationwide campaign against corruption and economic mismanagement, resulting in at least 77 deaths and the fall of former Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli’s administration. Interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki urged citizens to vote without fear, while thousands of security personnel were deployed to maintain order.

Over 3,400 candidates are contesting 165 directly elected seats in the 275-member lower house, with the remaining 110 to be allocated by party lists. Analysts expect no single party to win an outright majority, and preliminary results are expected within 24 hours.