Nepalis vote in first election since Gen Z uprising for change

BBC:

Millions of Nepalis have voted in the country’s first general election since violent youth-led protests toppled the government last September.

Corruption, economic stagnation and inequality were the main issues in the vote. They sparked the uprising in which 77 people died, many of them protesters shot by police.

The election represents a crossroads for Nepal, pitting the establishment against a new generation of politicians advocating for angry, young Gen Z voters hungry for change.

Counting the votes cast for parliament’s 275 seats is expected to take several days, and results are not expected before next week.

Nepal’s mountainous terrain makes it slow and difficult to transport ballots, which are tallied by hand.

Nearly 19 million people, including almost a million first-time voters, were registered to take part in the 5 March ballot for the House of Representatives. The Election Commission, speaking shortly after polls closed, said it expected voter turnout to be 60%.

Voting was largely peaceful, and there was a huge security presence across the country.

Leading candidates include KP Sharma Oli, the prime minister toppled in the protests, and Balen Shah, a former rapper who resigned as Kathmandu mayor in January to take him on in his constituency in the Jhapa 5 seat, one of the key election races.

For Oli, the election will be a major test. He and his party, the Communist Party of Nepal UML, have insisted the protests were not a referendum on his leadership, and that he is still beloved by the public. He told the BBC he’s confident he will win this election.

The leader of the Nepali Congress, Gagan Thapa, believes younger voters are tired of “unholy alliances” and “poor governance” in previous coalitions, and that the party is listening to Gen Z voters.

Balen Shah, who is representing the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), refused to speak directly to the press on Thursday, staying true to form, turning up in his signature black sunglasses and storming through a crowd of journalists.

It’s a trend Nepal’s media worry would continue if he took office. Yet, many of the young voters we’ve spoken to believe his youth and energy are exactly what the country needs, and that he represents a new chapter in Nepal’s future.

Both Oli and Thapa’s parties, which have been in government numerous times, have been clear in their messaging, in suggesting they have heard the calls for change. Whether voters agree remains to be seen.

Rakshya Bam – one of Nepal’s Gen Z leaders – was largely unimpressed.

“I think none of the parties have incorporated the pact that was signed between the government and the Gen Z in their election manifestos,” she told the BBC ahead of the vote.

“They want to sell the name of Gen Z and come into power so they are using the term Gen Z movement… I don’t have much expectations from the elections.”

Ispa Sapkota, who spoke to the BBC as she cast her ballot in Kathmandu, said she protested in September to “end corruption” and to restore “political stability” in Nepal.

“We want a better nation,” she says. “When I and others search for jobs, we’re not able to get any here. Brain drain is becoming the most important problem in our country”.