Nepal's interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki casts her vote during the country's parliamentary election at a polling station in Kathmandu, Nepal, on March 5, 2026. Voting began across Nepal on Thursday morning to elect a new House of Representatives that was dissolved following violent protests in September last year. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua)
KATHMANDU, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Voting began across Nepal on Thursday morning to elect a new House of Representatives that was dissolved following violent protests in September last year.
According to the Election Commission, a total of 18,903,689 voters are eligible to cast their ballots to determine the 275 seats of the lower house of parliament. Of the 6,541 candidates, 3,406 are vying for 165 seats under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system. The remaining 110 seats will be allocated through the proportional representation (PR) system.
To conduct the polls, the commission has set up over 23,000 polling centers and more than 10,000 polling stations across the country. A large number of security personnel have been mobilized to secure the elections.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the commission said it would announce the election results for the FPTP within 24 hours after collecting the ballot boxes. ■
A senior participates in voting at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Lalitpur, Nepal, on March 5, 2026. Voting began across Nepal on Thursday morning to elect a new House of Representatives that was dissolved following violent protests in September last year. (Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua)
People line up to cast ballots at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Lalitpur, Nepal, on March 5, 2026. Voting began across Nepal on Thursday morning to elect a new House of Representatives that was dissolved following violent protests in September last year. (Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua)
A man casts his ballot at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Lalitpur, Nepal, on March 5, 2026. Voting began across Nepal on Thursday morning to elect a new House of Representatives that was dissolved following violent protests in September last year. (Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua)
People participate in voting during the parliamentary election in Lalitpur, Nepal, on March 5, 2026. Voting began across Nepal on Thursday morning to elect a new House of Representatives that was dissolved following violent protests in September last year. (Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua)
People line up to cast their ballots at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Kathmandu, Nepal, on March 5, 2026. Voting began across Nepal on Thursday morning to elect a new House of Representatives that was dissolved following violent protests in September last year. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua)
A man casts his ballot at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Kathmandu, Nepal, on March 5, 2026. Voting began across Nepal on Thursday morning to elect a new House of Representatives that was dissolved following violent protests in September last year. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua)
