Nepal’s parliamentary elections on Thursday saw around 60 percent of voters cast their ballots, the Election Commission said. Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari announced the figure at a media briefing.

Past elections saw turnout ranging from 61.63 percent in 2022 to a high of 78.34 percent in 2013, with previous figures of 68.67 percent in 2017, 61.70 percent in 2008, 65.79 percent in 1999, 61.86 percent in 1994 and 65.15 percent in 1991.

Polling ran from 7am to 5pm, with voters already in line allowed to vote after closing.

The commission described the elections as largely peaceful and enthusiastic despite “special conditions.”

Minor disputes occurred in Dolakha, Sarlahi and Rautahat, including a brief halt at the Malu polling centre in ward 4 of Tamakoshi Rural Municipality, Dolakha.

Ballot boxes are being collected nationwide, with some to be airlifted from 15 remote districts. Counting will start once all boxes reach their venues, with first-past-the-post results expected within 24 hours.

A total of 18.9 million voters were eligible to elect 275 House of Representatives members, up 915,119 from 2022. About 52 percent are aged 18–40.

There are 6,541 candidates, including 3,406 contesting 165 first-past-the-post seats—1,143 of them independents—and 3,135 listed for 110 proportional representation seats under 63 parties.

The commission deployed 341,113 security personnel, including 149,000 temporary election police, across 23,112 polling booths at 10,963 polling centres.