Some key figures about Nepal’s parliamentary election

Nepal heads to the polls on Thursday in a pivotal parliamentary election, just three years after the previous national vote. The election follows a youth-led uprising in September 2025 that toppled the previous government and paved the way for an interim administration to call fresh elections.

Nearly 19 million Nepalis are registered to vote in this election, marking an increase of approximately one million voters since the November 2022 polls. The surge in registration numbers reflects heightened political engagement, particularly among young people energized by the 2025 uprising. Of the registered voters, about 9.66 million are men and 9.24 million are women, with 200 additional voters registered under the “others” category, which includes those who don’t identify as male or female and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The youth-driven political movement has emerged as a defining issue in the campaign, with political parties across the spectrum pledging to amplify younger voices. Many candidates have focused their platforms on addressing corruption and improving governance—key concerns that fueled the 2025 protests.

Voters will directly elect 165 members to the House of Representatives, Nepal’s powerful lower chamber of Parliament. The remaining 110 seats in the 275-member House will be filled through a proportional representation system, with political parties nominating lawmakers based on the percentage of votes they receive nationally.

Nepal’s political landscape has historically been dominated by coalition governments, with the country experiencing remarkable instability—15 different administrations have held power over the past two decades. This pattern of coalition rule is likely to continue, as no single party is expected to secure an outright majority.

The election represents a significant test for the country’s traditional political powerhouses. The Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) have long dominated Nepalese politics but now face growing public dissatisfaction after being part of the government ousted last year.

A notable challenger has emerged in the National Independent Party, formed only in 2022 but gaining considerable traction during the campaign. The party’s candidate for prime minister is Balendra Shah, the former mayor of Kathmandu who previously gained fame as a rapper before entering politics. Shah’s candidacy signals the rising influence of political outsiders in a system traditionally controlled by established parties.

The election comes at a crucial time for Nepal, a landlocked Himalayan nation of approximately 30 million people that has struggled with political stability since transitioning from a monarchy to a republic in 2008. The country faces significant economic challenges, including high unemployment, particularly among young people, and recovery from the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

International observers are closely monitoring the election, which is seen as a test of Nepal’s democratic institutions following the political upheaval of recent years. The electoral process and its outcome will be particularly significant for regional powers India and China, both of which maintain substantial economic and strategic interests in Nepal.

For many Nepalis, particularly younger voters participating in their first election, Thursday’s vote represents an opportunity to push for meaningful change in a political system that has long been criticized for corruption, nepotism, and failure to deliver economic development. Whether the election will usher in a new political era or reinforce existing power structures remains to be seen.