Liza Adhikari, a 20-year-old student, still bears the physical scars of last year’s unrest: a bullet shattered the top of the bone in her upper arm, and she visits physiotherapy daily to recover movement. She was shot on September 8, 2025, during a violent crackdown on youth-led demonstrations that sought to reshape Nepal’s political landscape.
“I wasn’t throwing stones — I was handing out water. I was blinded by tear gas when the police opened fire,” Adhikari recalled.
The protests, driven by anger over widespread corruption and soaring unemployment, helped force then–Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli from office. President Ram Chandra Paudel later dissolved parliament and installed an interim government charged with holding early elections.
Nearly 19 million registered voters are expected to cast ballots this week to choose 275 members of the House of Representatives — 165 by direct vote and 110 through proportional representation from party lists. For Adhikari and many like her, the vote is a test: did their sacrifice produce lasting change, or will entrenched interests reclaim power?
“If young people get to Parliament and raise their voices, the movement could have real impact. But if the old parties return and nothing changes, our struggle will have been in vain,” she said.
The demonstrations left a heavy human toll. Amnesty International reported that the mass anti-government protests last year resulted in 76 young people killed and more than 2,000 wounded.
Despite being the movement’s driving force, members of Generation Z (roughly those born 1997–2012) have rarely stood as candidates: they account for only about 5% of contestants. Experts point to institutional obstacles — a political culture that prizes seniority, a legal minimum age of 25 to stand for Parliament, and the steep costs of campaigning.
Parties and alliances have also set high nomination fees. The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), an alliance of newer groups, required an application fee of 50,000 Nepali rupees (about $375) for those seeking a place on its proportional representation list. Majid Ansari, a youth activist and law student, said such sums are prohibitive for many prospective candidates; some independents who initially declared runs later withdrew for financial reasons.
Funding challenges run deeper, analysts warn. “With an Election Commission that does not have the authority to regulate party financing, parties tend to favour candidates who can pay their own way — middlemen, traders and contractors who can both cover campaign costs and fund the party,” said political analyst Krishna Pokharel.
Still, some young contenders are trying to break the pattern. Manish Khanal, 26, an RSP candidate in Nawalpur-2, relies on small donations, volunteer labor, and free printing and transport — what he calls “social capital.” He says he refuses to buy votes with cash, food or gifts, and hopes a low-cost campaign model will promote transparency. Khanal is one of 12 Gen Z candidates on the RSP slate, though critics note the party’s senior figures maintain ties to wealthy businesspeople and use luxurious cars.
Other young activists have joined established parties to push for reform from within. Ajay Kushwaha, 27, is contesting a seat in Bara for the Nepal Communist Party, saying the party platform provides a structured way to raise Gen Z concerns and reform internal culture.
Some prominent youth leaders, however, have stayed outside the electoral process. Rakshya Bam, who helped lead protests and aided formation of the interim government, decided not to run. “We rebelled against old political tendencies and I didn’t see a clear roadmap in the alternative forces, so I remain in street-level activism demanding transparency and accountability,” she said. Ansari likewise prefers to remain in what he calls a “permanent opposition,” arguing that entering party politics now could dilute the movement’s goals.
Analysts say the Gen Z uprising disproved the notion that young people are apathetic about politics. “It showed political consciousness among youth is strong,” Pokharel noted. While Gen Z holds diverse views, a shared frustration with poor governance, weak public services and impunity unites many of them.
For those who paid the highest price, the stakes are deeply personal. Adhikari spent 64 days in hospital and still faces steep medical bills. She fears that if corruption and poor governance endure, an entire generation may feel forced to seek opportunities abroad.
“If nothing changes,” she said, “I may be waiting for a visa instead of election results.”