Seeking accountability: Will Gen Z protestors call a stop after today's poll process elects new govt in Nepal?

Kathmandu, March 5 (IANS) As Nepal goes through a hi-stake mid-term poll process on Thursday, following the Gen Z protests of 2025 that led to the fall of the-then K.P. Sharma Oli government last September, the spotlight remains on the protagonists who forced the change – on their present role now, and the future.

“The polling is on; there’ll be a new government that’ll assume office soon; but our movement is not over yet.

Because, the agenda of the movement was to seek accountability, good governance, and against corruption. It is still on, and it’ll continue,” asserted 23-year-old Amrita Ban, a Gen Z activist.

She spoke while staring at the burnt facade of the state road department’s majestic office in Kathmandu and lamented that such vandalism was being attributed to them, but that in reality it was the work of “fringe elements” from Nepal’s various political parties.

Such building dot Kathmandu’s roads, from government offices – including the Parliament and Prime Minister’s Office – and private buildings, reminding people of the 2025 uprising that has led to this poll.

The protests by youth demonstrators opposing a government ban on major social media platforms, while addressing broader issues of corruption, nepotism, inequality, and limiting freedom of expression began peacefully in Kathmandu and other cities but quickly escalated into large-scale confrontations.

On September 8, 2025, the police used lethal force to disperse protesters, leading to at least 19 deaths, including a schoolboy. That infuriated the protestors, who scaled up the stir, leading to the resignation of the Oli Cabinet.

“Whichever government comes to power, Gen Z will be vigilant like a watchdog to ensure that the party delivers what is good for the nation and its citizens,” stressed 25-year-old Rajat Das Shreshtha, a well-known musician and lead singer in a band.

“Not all the Gen Z constituents are supporting one single party; some are not even active in this election. There are groups still waiting for alternatives since they’re not happy with the present political parties or the current system,” he explained.

“With a new government assuming office, we’ll support them, we’ll stand firmly with them in every step they take for good governance; but the voice of the Gen Z will never stop to seek accountability,” asserted the young musician.

The activists are seeking the release of an enquiry commission report that probed the deadly September violence, adequate compensation for the families of the victims, registration of all legal voters, a political system free of corruption and nepotism, among other demands.

“Many of the youth participants in the 2025 stir are not with any political party today. The rest, who may be participating in the poll process, will continue to keep an eye on the role of the new government,” echoed journalist Bikas Acharya of Kantipur Media Group.

Drawing similarities between Bangladesh’s 2024 demonstration and Nepal’s, Acharya noted a principal difference. “Though I find many similarities between the youth movement in Bangladesh and Nepal, in the former case however, some of the activists floated and registered new political parties or contested as independent candidates. But they could not achieve much success, mainly due to a lack of mass political base,” he stated.

“In Nepal meanwhile, the youth chose to support existing political parties of their choice rather than form their own.

I think that was a wise decision. That’ll allow them to have a mass base, yet keep them free of political commitments while seeking accountability,” opined Acharya.

In fact, several Gen Z activists participating in the poll process that IANS spoke to in separate parts of Nepal, iterated support to a particular candidate than the party they represent. For millennials like Nepal’s leading cine star Reecha Sharma, the Gen Z movement was a wake up call for people like her and her elders, who remained till now largely aloof from the nation’s electoral process.

During the 2025 protests, she actively chipped in, posting messages of support for the youth demonstrators on her social media handles. “People considered the Gen Z, that they were just hooked on to the social media. But they showed they think for the country. They’re young. They’re learning. And I’m very hopeful that they’ll continue that way,” summed up the model-actor.

--IANS

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