尼泊尔大选

Political Dialogue Asia, Singapore General Electionin Nepal How GenZ changes the country’spolitical Mahesh Bhatta, Andreas Klein & Jonas Nitschke Nepal’s early general election on March5, 2026, marked one of the mostsignificant shifts inthe country’s political landscape since theadoption of the 2015 Constitution.1The electionfollowed a period ofintensepolitical instability triggered by theyouth-led GenZ protests ofSeptember 2025, which ultimately led to the resignation of thegovernment of former PrimeMinister KP SharmaOli.2 Although Nepal has held several elections since the transition to a federal democratic system,the 2026 vote stands out due to the unprecedented electoral success of the reform-orientedRastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). Early results suggest that the party is on course for a landslidevictory that could fundamentally reshape the country’s party system and weaken the long- Background The 2026 general election represents the third parliamentary election since theadoptionofNepal’s new constitution in 2015, which established a federal system and decentralizedgovernance structure.3The election was officially announced on 12 September 2025 by thePresident of Nepal following the recommendation of the government after widespread youth-led protests demanded political reform and accountability.4 These protests, often referred to as the “GenZ movement,” reflected growing frustration amongyoungervoters with dominant political elites,corruption scandals and government 2026).International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). 2026. “Elections in Nepal: 2026General Elections.” Election Snapshot. Available at:https://www.ifes.org/tools- resources/election-snapshots/elections-nepal-2026-general-elections(Accessed: 9 March2026).4Al Jazeera. 2025. “Nepal Sets March 5 Vote, Restrictions Eased as Interim Government inefficiencyperceived by the younger members of society.The protests significantlyundermined the legitimacy of the ruling coalition and ultimately forced the resignation ofPrime Minister KP Sharma Oli,opening the wayfor early elections.The political environmentleading up to the vote was therefore characterized by deep public dissatisfaction with the Electoral Process and Participation Voting took place nationwide on 5 March 2026 in a single phase. Polling stations opened at7:00 a.m. and closed at 5:00 p.m., allowing voters ten hours to cast their ballots. The Election Commission of Nepal established 10,963 polling stations and 23,112 polling centers acrossthecountry to facilitate the electoral process.5 International and domestic observersmonitored the election to ensure transparency and credibility. Approximately 4,500 observers The election drew participation from more than 3,400candidates representing 68 politicalparties, reflecting the highly pluralistic nature of Nepal’s political system.Voter participation remained strong. More than 18.9 million citizens were registered to vote, including nearly onemillionfirst-time voters.6 Youth participation played a particularly important role:approximately 52 percent of the electorate was between 18 and 40 years old. Overall turnout exceeded 60 percent, roughly comparable to the 61.63 percent turnout recorded in the 2022 Nepal uses a mixed electoral system designed to combine directrepresentation with One ballot to elect165 members of parliament through the First-Past-the-Post •A second ballot to elect110 members through proportional representationfrom Thismixed system was introduced by the 2015 Constitution to ensure both localrepresentation and broader political inclusivity. However, critics have often argued that it The Kathmandu Post. 2026. “Voter Turnout Around 60 Percent in Nepal’s ParliamentaryElections.” Available at:https://kathmandupost.com/national/2026/03/05/voter-turnout-around-60-percent-in-nepal-s-parliamentary-elections(Accessed: 9 March 2026). makes it difficult for a single party to secure a decisive parliamentary majority, often resultingin coalition governments.The 2026 election results appear to challenge this assumption. Election Outcome Early results suggest a dramatic transformation in Nepal’s political landscape. The RastriyaSwatantra Party(RSP)has achieved a dominant lead in the directly elected constituencies, securing125of the 165 FPTP seats8and leading in several additional races. If confirmed, thisperformance could enable the party to obtain a simple majority—or even approach a two- Traditional parties performed significantly worse. The Nepali Congress secured only 18seatsin the direct contests, while the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) won8 seats.9Other parties such as the Nepal Communist Party, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party andthe newly established Shrama Shakti Party gained only a handful of seats.The election The election also produced a series of remarkable personal defeats for senior political figures.Most notably, RSP leader Balendra Shah defeated former prime minister