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.

Staff members make preparations ahead of Nepal's upcoming parliamentary elections in Kathmandu, Nepal, March 4, 2026, Nepal's interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki on Monday urged citizens to actively participate in the parliamentary elections scheduled for March 5, calling the vote as an opportunity to shape their future and that of their children. (Photo: Xinhua)

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.