Counting starts in Nepal after pivotal election

Counting began in Nepal on Friday following a high‑stakes parliamentary election that could reshape the nation’s leadership after the 2025 protests that toppled the government.

Key contenders include a Marxist former prime minister seeking a return to office, a rapper‑turned‑mayor appealing to young voters, and the newly elected leader of the influential Nepali Congress.

“Counting has begun in most places in a peaceful manner,” said Prakash Nyupane, spokesman for the Election Commission.

Some preliminary results are expected later on Friday, though full nationwide tallies could take several days. Even then, analysts warn that government formation talks may be prolonged if no single party secures an outright majority.

Interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki praised the calm conduct of the vote, describing it as critical in “determining our future”.

Voters were choosing who would replace the interim administration installed after the September 2025 uprising, in which at least 77 people were killed and parliament and numerous government buildings were set ablaze.

The youth-led protests, initially sparked by a brief social media ban, were fuelled by broader grievances over corruption and economic mismanagement.

“Congratulations to the Nepali people for successfully conducting a historically peaceful election… thereby providing the country with a democratic and constitutional resolution,” Karki said on Thursday after polls closed.

Better path

The polls are among the most fiercely contested in the Himalayan republic of 30 million people since the end of the civil war in 2006.

Karki, a 73-year-old former chief justice who came out of retirement to lead the interim government, now faces the challenge of managing reactions to the results. Thousands of soldiers and police have been deployed across the country.

All eyes are on the single constituency of Jhapa‑5 in eastern Nepal, where two prime ministerial hopefuls faced off.

Former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, 74, the Marxist leader ousted last year, is seeking a return to power. He is challenged by former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, 35, a rapper‑turned‑politician from the centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), who has positioned himself as a symbol of youth-driven political change.

Also in the running is Gagan Thapa, 49, the new head of the Nepali Congress, who has vowed to end the “old age” dominance of veteran political leaders.

More than 3,400 candidates contested 165 directly elected seats in the 275-member House of Representatives, with the remaining 110 chosen via party lists. Voter turnout was 59 per cent.

Mira Ranjit, 49, who voted in Kathmandu, applauded as ballot boxes were collected under heavy guard and taken to counting centres late on Thursday.

“A new leader should emerge who can guide our country and show a better path so that the Gen Z protest achieves its goal,” she said.

“We don’t need anything more than this. Many mothers lost their children, and their demands should be fulfilled.”