Vote counting for Nepal's 2026 House of Representatives elections commenced late Thursday night (March 5) following the close of polls at 5 pm, marking a pivotal moment in the nation's first general elections since the violent Gen Z-led protests that ousted the KP Sharma Oli-led coalition government last year. Preliminary results show the Rastriya Swotantra Party (RSP) has won three seats and is surging ahead with leads in 104 seats. The Nepali Congress has won two seats and is leading in 12 others, while the CPN-UML is leading in 10 constituencies. The Nepali Communist Party has won one and is leading in six constituencies. The Election Commission anticipates completing the entire tally by Friday night (March 6), with vote sorting underway across polling stations amid heightened scrutiny to ensure transparency after last year's unrest eroded public trust in institutions. Voter turnout reached an impressive 60 per cent, fuelled by unprecedented youth participation and officials credit the smooth initial phase to enhanced voter education campaigns, inter-party cooperation and stringent security deployments that prevented disruptions despite lingering tensions from the protests.
As counting progresses into Friday, early leads spotlight independent voices like Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah, a prime ministerial aspirant who has taken an initial edge over veteran KP Oli in a fiercely contested race, underscoring the Gen Z generation's appetite for anti-establishment figures promising reform. KP Oli, Chairman of CPN-UML, urged voters pre-polls to back "experienced, patriotic, democratic, and progressive forces" for peace, good governance, and development, while expressing unwavering confidence that his party- despite current lags- will clinch a majority or at least emerge as the largest parliamentary bloc, with candidate Mahesh Basnet poised for victory. Oli's rhetoric framed the elections as a mandate to restore "Loktantra" (democracy), end anarchy and normalise daily life post-protests, even as he alleged campaign-era voter intimidation, rumors and divisive tactics sowed confusion. The Officiating Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari praised the peaceful polling process post-voting, noting the stakes for governmental and EC credibility after Gen Z's upheaval demanded accountability.
With results trickling in hourly, the focus sharpens on swing constituencies where RSP's momentum could consolidate into a governing plurality, challenging the duopoly of Congress and UML that has long dominated Nepali politics. Observers highlight logistical feats in accelerating counts- centralised stations processing high-volume urban ballots from Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, where Oli himself voted- aiming to sidestep past delays that fueled skepticism. Should trends hold, RSP's 23-seat lead hints at a youth-driven realignment prioritising stability and anti-corruption, potentially thrusting Balen Shah toward premiership contention and forcing Oli's CPN-UML into coalition maneuvers. As Friday night deadlines loom, all eyes remain on the Election Commission's live updates, with the outcome poised to redefine Nepal's path from protest-fueled instability toward democratic renewal or further coalition gridlock.
