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Nepal: 2026 legislative election and future prospects

On 5 March 2026 the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), formed only in 2022 and led by Balen Shah, won a definitive victory in Nepal’s parliamentary elections.

Elections were not due to be held until 2027 but were put in motion following the government’s collapse in the wake of youth protests. The protests, which started in September 2026, erupted after the Nepali government banned 26 social media platforms for failing to comply with its registration requirements. More than 75 people were reported to have been killed during the protests, with over 2,000 injured (PDF). The economic damage was estimated to be over $586 million.

Following the protests Nepal’s President, Ramchandra Paudel, installed an interim Prime Minister and dissolved parliament on 13 September 2025. Early elections were a key demand of the protest movement.

Election campaign

Political parties sought to attract younger voters by campaigning on promises to tackle corruption, improve governance and provide more jobs.

The campaign was different in that candidates ran digital campaigns instead of using traditional pamphlets and banners to spread their message.

Election results

The Election Commission of Nepal announced the final election results on 12 March, one week after the election took place.

The RSP secured a clear majority of seats, winning 182 of the 275 seats in the parliament.

The Nepali Congress came second with 38 seats, followed by the Communist Party of Nepal UML (CPN-UML) with 25.

Looking ahead

The 2026 election showed the electorate favoured a change from the traditional parties and this presents Balen Shah with both opportunities and challenges in government.

Shah’s cabinet is the youngest in Nepal’s history and only two of its members have prior ministerial experience. Despite his strong majority in the House of Representatives, his party has no seats in the upper chamber, the National Assembly, so Shah will need to engage with other parties to deliver the change he promised.

An immediate priority will be to address the economic challenges that have been exacerbated by the return of migrant workers from the Persian Gulf states due to instability in the Middle East. The remittances these migrants sent back to Nepal represent more than a third of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and these workers will now need to find employment at home.

On the international front, Shah has pledged a balanced and independent foreign policy centred on non-alignment, conscious of the significant power wielded by Nepal’s larger neighbours, China and India.