Nepal is set to undergo parliamentary elections on Thursday, marking the first nationwide polls since last year’s Gen Z protests that shook the Himalayan nation.
Voters will elect 275 members of the House of Representatives, the federal parliament’s lower house. Of these, 165 seats go to first-past-the-post (FPTP) winners, with 110 allocated via proportional representation.
The elections are taking place in the shadow of the September 8-9 Gen Z uprising, during which 77 people were killed.
The government estimates protests caused over NPR 84 billion in damage to public and private property.
After the unrest sparked political uncertainty, interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki’s government restored stability and announced fresh elections. With voting underway on Thursday, Nepal is set to revive its democratic process through the ballot box.
Acting Chief Election Commissioner of Nepal Ram Prasad Bhandari urged citizens to vote fearlessly in the democratic process. In his message, he confirmed all election arrangements are complete and encouraged voters to exercise their constitutional right.
Voting will be held across the country from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, according to the Election Commission.
“Since elections are the foundation of a representative system of governance and provide legitimacy and assurance to the people’s right to be governed through representatives of their choice, I sincerely urge all voters to attend their respective polling centres and cast their votes confidently on Thursday,” Bhandari said, quotes IANS.
He further stated that the Commission is fully prepared to ensure the polls are conducted in a clean, free, fair and fear-free environment.
The election commission confirmed that key materials like ballot papers and boxes have reached all polling stations nationwide. It also noted that polling booth setups, accessibility measures, gender- and disability-friendly facilities, and staff deployments are fully complete.
The Election Commission states that 18.9 million registered voters, 9.66 million men and 9.24 million women, are eligible to vote.
A total of 3,406 candidates are in the fray under the FPTP system, while 3,135 candidates are contesting under the proportional representation system, the Commission said.
(with IANS inputs)
