Nepal approves 114 parties for post-uprising polls

KATHMANDU - Nepal’s Election Commission said on Dec 9 that 114 political parties, several new, have been approved to contest the first polls since

a mass uprising ousted the government

.

Commission spokesman Narayan Prasad Bhattarai told AFP the election in the Himalayan nation of 30 million people was on track for March 5, 2026.

“About 19 million eligible voters have registered their names,” Mr Bhattarai said.

“We assure everyone that the election will take place in the given time,” he added, saying officials were determined to ensure a “free, impartial and peaceful environment”.

Around a fifth of the 114 parties are new, and include several registered by young activists who helped launch the anti-corruption protests that shook the country on Sept 8 to 9.

Those protests were triggered by a brief ban on social media, but fuelled by wider anger at economic hardship and corruption.

The World Bank estimates a “staggering” 82 per cent of Nepal’s workforce is in informal employment, with GDP per capita at US$1,447 (S$1,877) in 2024.

Initial demonstrations were spearheaded by protesters under a loose “Gen Z” umbrella title, of those aged younger than 28.

Unrest spread nationwide and Parliament and government offices were set ablaze,

resulting in the government’s collapse

. At least 73 people were killed during the violence.

Nepal’s political future remains uncertain, with deep public distrust of established parties posing a major challenge to holding credible elections. AFP