The general election is the first since gen-Z protests forced Nepal’s then-prime minister to quit

Nearly six months after a wave of unprecedented youth-led protests forced Nepal’s then prime minister to quit, people have begun voting in a general election that is shaping up to be a high-stakes showdown between the entrenched old guard and a powerful youth movement.

Key figures contesting the election include the Marxist former prime minister seeking a return to office, a rapper-turned-mayor bidding for the youth vote, and the newly elected leader of the powerful Nepali Congress party.