KATHMANDU, March 6: Nepal’s parliamentary election history reflects the country’s long and often turbulent journey toward democratic governance.
The first parliamentary election after the restoration of the multiparty system was held in 1991. In the election for the 205-member House of Representatives (HoR), the Nepali Congress (NC) secured a majority with 110 seats. The CPN-UML won 69 seats, while the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) secured four seats. The remaining seats were won by smaller parties and independent candidates. An NC-led government was formed under Girija Prasad Koirala, who became prime minister.
However, internal conflicts within the NC led to midterm elections in 1994. No party secured a clear majority. The UML emerged as the largest party with 88 seats, followed by the NC with 83 seats and the RPP with 20 seats. As the largest party, the UML formed the first communist-led government under Man Mohan Adhikari. His minority government collapsed within nine months.
In the following years, governments changed frequently. Between 1994 and 1999, Nepal witnessed five different governments led by Adhikari, Sher Bahadur Deuba, Lokendra Bahadur Chand, Surya Bahadur Thapa, and Koirala.
In the 1999 parliamentary elections, the NC again secured a majority with 111 seats. The UML won 71 seats, while the RPP secured 11 seats. An NC government was formed under Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, who served briefly as prime minister but stepped down due to internal party disputes.
From Bhattarai’s tenure until the Constituent Assembly election in 2008, several leaders—including Koirala, Deuba, Chand, and Thapa—served as prime ministers. During this period, Nepal witnessed the end of the Maoist insurgency, the beginning of the peace process, and preparations for drafting a new constitution.
Constituent Assembly era
In the 2008 Constituent Assembly election for 601 members, the CPN (Maoist)—which had joined mainstream politics after the insurgency—emerged as the largest party with 229 seats. The NC won 115 seats, while the UML secured 108 seats.
The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly declared the end of the monarchy and the establishment of a republic. Pushpa Kamal Dahal, chairman of the Maoist party, became the first prime minister of republican Nepal.
After the election, Dahal, Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhala Nath Khanal, and Baburam Bhattarai served as prime ministers in succession. However, the Constituent Assembly failed to draft a constitution and was eventually dissolved.
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To hold the second Constituent Assembly election, a government led by then Chief Justice Khila Raj Regmi was formed. His administration conducted the 2013 election, in which the NC emerged as the largest party with 196 seats, followed by the UML with 175 seats and the CPN (Maoist Centre) with 80 seats.
With cooperation between the NC and UML, a government was formed under Sushil Koirala. Under his leadership, the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal was promulgated in 2015.
Following Koirala, KP Sharma Oli, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and Sher Bahadur Deuba served as prime ministers in succession.
Elections under the new constitution
After the promulgation of the constitution, elections for the 275-member House of Representatives were held in 2017. The UML won 121 seats, the Maoist Centre secured 53 seats, and the NC won 63 seats.
The UML and Maoist Centre formed a left alliance, securing nearly a two-thirds majority, and a government was formed under KP Sharma Oli. The two parties later merged to form the Nepal Communist Party, but internal conflicts eventually led to the party’s split. Oli later attempted to dissolve the House of Representatives twice, but the move failed.
Amid the political instability that followed, Sher Bahadur Deuba became prime minister again and remained in office until the 2022 general elections.
In the 2022 parliamentary elections, the NC emerged as the largest party with 89 seats, followed by the UML with 78 seats. The Maoist Centre secured 32 seats, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) won 20 seats, and the RPP secured 14 seats.
After the election, Pushpa Kamal Dahal formed the government. Later, KP Sharma Oli became prime minister. During Oli’s tenure, the Gen Z protest movement erupted in late September. Following his resignation, a government was formed under Sushila Karki, with a mandate to hold elections within six months.
The election held on Thursday marks the third parliamentary election after the promulgation of the 2015 constitution.
Early elections and local polls
Nepal’s electoral history, however, dates back much further. According to the Election Commission, the first local election was held in 1947 for Kathmandu Municipality.
The first general election in Nepal was conducted in 1959. Voting was held in phases, and the nationwide election process took 45 days to complete. Final results were announced on May 11, 1959.
At that time, the parliament consisted of two chambers: the National Assembly (upper house) and the House of Representatives (lower house) with 109 members. Candidates had to be at least 25 years old, while voters had to be 21 years or older.
The maximum campaign expenditure was fixed at Rs 5,000, and there were 4.24 million registered voters. The largest constituency had 54 polling stations, while the smallest had 11.
Voter turnout in the first general election was 42.18 percent.
Although turnout was relatively low, the legitimacy of the election was never questioned. A writ petition filed by Dr KI Singh challenging the technical validity of the election was later dismissed by the court, further strengthening its credibility.
Nine political parties participated in the election, each with distinct symbols such as tree, umbrella, plough, hut, and hand.
Panchayat era and return of democracy
In 1960, King Mahendra abolished the multiparty parliamentary system and introduced the Panchayat system, under which political parties were banned.
The multiparty system was restored only after the People’s Movement of 1990, paving the way for the 1991 parliamentary election.
That election recorded 11.19 million registered voters, with 65.15 percent turnout.
A midterm election in 1994 had 12.32 million voters, with 61.86 percent turnout.
In 1999, about 13.51 million voters were registered, and 65.79 percent participated in the election.
Following the Second People’s Movement in 2006, elections for the Constituent Assembly were held in 2008, with 17.61 million registered voters and 61.70 percent turnout.
After the first Constituent Assembly failed to deliver a constitution, a second CA election was held in 2013, recording 78.74 percent voter turnout.
Following the promulgation of the constitution in 2015, elections for the House of Representatives and Provincial Assemblies were held in 2017, with 68.66 percent voter turnout.
The constitution provides for a 275-member House of Representatives, with 165 members elected through the first-past-the-post system and 110 through proportional representation.
In the 2022 elections, more than 11 million voters cast ballots under the first-past-the-post system, while over 11.1 million votes were cast under the proportional representation system.
