Nepal began voting on Thursday in its first nationwide election since last year’s dramatic youth-led uprising toppled the government and reshaped the country’s political landscape. The high-stakes poll comes after months of political turmoil sparked by what many have called a “Gen Z revolution” — protests driven largely by young Nepalis angry over corruption, unemployment and entrenched political patronage.
Across the Himalayan nation of about 30 million people, long queues formed outside polling stations as security forces patrolled the streets. Authorities banned vehicles and political gatherings on election day to prevent unrest. Nearly 19 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots in an election that many see as a referendum on the political establishment that has dominated the country for decades.
