Vote counting begins in Nepal after a peaceful parliamentary election

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Election officials were counting votes Friday, a day after a parliamentary election in Nepal which was the first nationwide poll since a violent, youth-led uprising forced the former government from power in September.

The Election Commission said they had begun vote counting in 53 of the 165 constituencies by Friday morning, and expect to begin work in the remaining areas by the end of the day.

Some of the polling stations are high up in remote mountain villages, which are accessible only by days of hiking, leading authorities to arrange the transport of ballot boxes by helicopter to counting centers.

Results were expected by the weekend, according to election officials who estimated voter turnout to be around 60%.

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.

Crowds gathered outside the centers where votes were being counted. In the capital Kathmandu, supporters cheered and chanted slogans in favor of their candidates.

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.

The 35-year-old Shah, riding a wave of public anger toward traditional political parties, had highlighted health and education for poor Nepalis as a key focus of his campaign.

The 2025 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.