Nepal’s election commission approves 114 parties, including many new ones, for the March 2026 polls following mass protests that ousted the previous government.
KATHMANDU: Nepal’s Election Commission has approved 114 political parties to contest the country’s first polls since a mass uprising ousted the government.
Commission spokesman Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said the election in the Himalayan nation of 30 million people was on track for March 5, 2026.
“About 19 million eligible voters have registered their names,” Bhattarai told AFP.
He added that officials were determined to ensure a “free, impartial and peaceful environment” for the vote.
Around a fifth of the approved parties are new, including several registered by young activists who helped launch anti-corruption protests on September 8-9.
Those protests were triggered by a brief social media ban but fuelled by wider anger at economic hardship and corruption.
The World Bank estimates a “staggering” 82% of Nepal’s workforce is in informal employment, with GDP per capita at USD 1,447 in 2024.
Initial demonstrations were spearheaded by protesters under a loose “Gen Z” umbrella title for those aged under 28.
Unrest spread nationwide and parliament and government offices were set ablaze, resulting in the government’s collapse.
At least 73 people were killed during the violence that led to the uprising.
Nepal’s political future remains uncertain, with deep public distrust of established parties posing a major challenge to holding credible elections.
