Nepal heads to the polls on Thursday in its first general election since the deadly Gen Z-led anti-corruption protests forced the government to resign last September. Seventy-seven people were killed in the unrest, which amplified demands for cleaner politics, more jobs and systemic reform in the Himalayan nation of 30 million.
Nearly 19 million voters will choose a 275-member parliament, with about one million newly registered voters, many of them young people mobilised by the protests. Traditional parties such as the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) face a strong challenge from the newer Rastriya Swatantra Party, whose prime ministerial candidate is former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah.
The vote is seen as a test of whether protest energy can translate into lasting political change. Nepal has seen 32 government changes since 1990, fuelling scepticism about stability even as many young voters say they want to replace the old guard with leaders focused on accountability and economic reform...