Nepal votes in first general election after Gen Z protests toppled KP Sharma Oli govt

Kathmandu: Nepal on Thursday heads to the polls in a high-stakes general election, months after a violent Gen Z-led movement, which  toppled the government of former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in September last year. 

When did polling start?

Polling started at 7 am across all 165 constituencies and will continue until 5 pm. A total of 3,406 candidates are contesting for the 275-member House of Representatives.

More than 18.9 million eligible voters are expected to participate in the election to choose representatives for the 275-member House of Representatives.

The contest is widely viewed as a referendum on the entrenched political old guard versus the Gen Z movement that erupted onto the streets last September.

Nearly six months after a wave of unprecedented youth-led protests and the deaths of 77 people that forced Nepal's then ​prime minister KP Sharma Oli to quit, people began voting on Thursday.

What did the Election Commission say?

Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, Nepal Election Commission spokesperson on Thursday confirmed that polling had begun nationwide. 

"Voting started in all the constituencies, including the southern plains, hilly area and the mountain region at 7 am," he said, according to news agency PTI.

"The election started in a peaceful environment across the country," he added. 

What is the electoral structure?

The Nepal election will determine 165 members of parliament through direct voting, while another 110 seats will be filled through a proportional representation system.

A total of 3,406 candidates from 65 political parties are contesting under the direct system and 3,135 under the proportional system