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For the past 10 years, Nepal’s prime ministerial role has cycled from aging leader to aging leader. From communist strongmen Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal to the centrist Sher Bahadur Deuba, the trio of leaders strategically took turns to guard the position. In 2026, after the country was convulsed by protests last year, many Nepalis want a decisive shift—and a new generation of leadership.

That resolve will be tested at the ballot box on March 5, when Nepal heads into a snap election triggered by the originally peaceful, youth-led anti-corruption protest movement that began in September. The demonstration turned deadly after security forces opened fire on unarmed students, killing around 77 people during the course of two days and leading Oli to resign. Former Chief Justice Sushila Karki was sworn in to lead the interim government—becoming Nepal’s first female prime minister—on Sept. 12, and the election was called nearly two years ahead of schedule.

For the past 10 years, Nepal’s prime ministerial role has cycled from aging leader to aging leader. From communist strongmen Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal to the centrist Sher Bahadur Deuba, the trio of leaders strategically took turns to guard the position. In 2026, after the country was convulsed by protests last year, many Nepalis want a decisive shift—and a new generation of leadership.

That resolve will be tested at the ballot box on March 5, when Nepal heads into a snap election triggered by the originally peaceful, youth-led anti-corruption protest movement that began in September. The demonstration turned deadly after security forces opened fire on unarmed students, killing around 77 people during the course of two days and leading Oli to resign. Former Chief Justice Sushila Karki was sworn in to lead the interim government—becoming Nepal’s first female prime minister—on Sept. 12, and the election was called nearly two years ahead of schedule.

In 2025, Nepal ranked 109 out of 182 countries on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, and youth unemployment rose slightly to 20.8 percent in 2024. There are growing social and economic inequalities, and limited job prospects push about 2,300 Nepalis abroad for work every day. Those issues bought young Nepalis to the streets—and they still want change.

Now, with just weeks remaining until election day, more than 3,400 candidates from some 65 political parties—including dozens of newcomers—are in the race for the 275 seats in the country’s House of Representatives. Many seek to break the dominance of Nepal’s three main parties—Oli’s Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist, or UML); the Nepali Congress, led by Deuba until last month; and the Nepali Communist Party, a recent merger of 10 communist factions, with Dahal as its coordinator.

About 18.9 million people are eligible to vote this year—roughly 900,000 more than the previous election.........

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