One year on from Nepal protests, have Gen Z demands been met?

What the report says

One year after Nepal’s youth-led anti-corruption protests began, the country is still reckoning with the political upheaval they triggered, according to Al Jazeera. The demonstrations started in September 2025 in Kathmandu and other cities after anger over corruption scandals, “nepo kid” privilege and a brief government ban on major social media platforms. The protests escalated into clashes, curfews, arrests and deadly police fire, with the article saying about 76 people were killed and hundreds injured or detained.

Al Jazeera reports that the unrest forced Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign, led to the installation of an interim government and eventually contributed to new elections in March 2026. The article says the vote brought a new political force into parliament through the Rastriya Swatantra Party, while 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah became prime minister. Some activists and analysts say this marked a meaningful opening for younger voices in politics.

However, the publication says the core demand for deeper anti-corruption reform has not been fully met. Critics argue that old party structures still dominate, and that governance changes have been limited. The article also notes that Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak were briefly arrested over the crackdown but released while investigations continue. In Kathmandu, families and activists held a memorial a year after the protests, underscoring that the movement’s human cost remains central to public debate.