KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Polls opened Thursday in Nepal's first nationwide election since last year’s violent, youth-led uprising forced the government from power.
Security forces patrolled streets and guarded polling stations across the Himalayan nation of about 30 million people as voters lined up to cast their ballots. Counting of votes will begin later Thursday, with results expected over the weekend.
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Balendra Shah, foreground, former mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City and prime ministerial candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party casts his vote at a polling station for the parliamentary election in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A Nepalese police officer stands guard near a ballot box as the voting commences for the parliamentary election in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
People wait in a queue to cast their votes for the parliamentary election in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A woman casts her vote at a polling station for the parliamentary election in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A election office staff carries ballot boxes to be loaded and transported to various polling stations a day ahead of parliamentary election in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Army men patrol and as they inspect polling stations a day ahead of parliamentary election in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Election staff set up polling stations a day ahead of parliamentary election in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Officials said both election campaigning and voting have been peaceful and there were no reports of any trouble.
“There is huge excitement about this election among the people, and we anticipate the voter turnout to be at least 65 percent,” said Nepal’s acting chief election commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari.
Authorities banned vehicles from the streets and prohibited political rallies and public gatherings. All forms of campaigning are barred on election day.
Voters lined up even before the polling stations opened at 7 a.m.
“I am here to vote hoping to bring new changes in Nepal, that was what all of are seeking and that was what all the Gen Z revolt was about," said Hari Sharan Giri, a 70-year-old painter.
Others were hoping elections would bring positive changes to the Himalayan nation.
“I felt someone I am able to fulfil and responsibility as a person and a citizen because each of our votes matters,” said Sanjiya Shrestha, who walked to the polling station despite begin visually impaired.
Nearly 19 million people are eligible to vote, according to the Election Commission.
Voters are directly electing 165 members to the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Parliament. The remaining 110 seats in the 275-member body will be allocated through a proportional representation system, under which political parties nominate lawmakers based on their share of the vote.
The election is widely seen as a three-way contest, shaped by voter frustration over widespread corruption and demands for greater government accountability.
The National Independent Party, founded in 2022, is considered the front-runner, posing a strong challenge to two long-dominant parties — the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist).
The new party’s prime ministerial candidate is rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, who won the 2022 Kathmandu mayoral race and emerged as a leading figure in the 2025 uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli.
Shah, 35, has rode a wave of public anger toward traditional political parties. He highlighted health and education for poor Nepalis as a key focus during his campaign.
The protests against corruption and poor governance were triggered by a social media ban before snowballing into a popular revolt against the government. Dozens were killed and hundreds injured when protesters attacked government buildings and police opened fire on them.
While the Congress and the Communists retain loyal voter bases, Shah’s party has drawn larger crowds on the campaign trail, highlighting its growing appeal among younger voters seeking an alternative.
Shah was among the first one to reach polling station at a local school in Kathmandu. He lives in the capital but is contesting from a district in southeast Nepal against Oli.
The next administration is expected to inherit daunting challenges. It must deliver on changes demanded by last year’s protests, tackle entrenched corruption and carefully manage ties with its powerful neighbors, India and China.
Balendra Shah, foreground, former mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City and prime ministerial candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party casts his vote at a polling station for the parliamentary election in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A Nepalese police officer stands guard near a ballot box as the voting commences for the parliamentary election in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
People wait in a queue to cast their votes for the parliamentary election in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A woman casts her vote at a polling station for the parliamentary election in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A election office staff carries ballot boxes to be loaded and transported to various polling stations a day ahead of parliamentary election in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Army men patrol and as they inspect polling stations a day ahead of parliamentary election in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Election staff set up polling stations a day ahead of parliamentary election in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
