“The beauty of democracy is people’s participation. I would like to urge all voters to reach their polling booths and cast their ballots,” wrote Nepal Prime Minister Sushila Karki on Thursday (March 5, 2026) morning on X, as polling began across the country in what she called “a defining moment” for Nepal.
Read | Nepal elections 2026 LIVE: Voting closes; nearly 40% turnout recorded as of 3 p.m.
Earlier, Ms. Karki cast her vote in Dhapasi, Kathmandu, and thanked election officers and security personnel for conducting the first election since last September’s ‘Gen Z protests’, which claimed 77 lives. On September 8, 2025, the first day of the protests, police firing killed 19 young protesters.
The election is expected to restore constitutional order and bring the democratic process back on track. Though it will take time for the results to come in, a majority for any single party is unlikely. Many fear Nepal could return to the familiar cycle of coalition governments, which may stall efforts to meet the protesters’ demands for an end to corruption, clean governance, and accountability.
As Nepalis wait for the results, political calculations have begun.
