One Year On, Gen Z Movement’s Demands Put Nepal’s Government to the Test

Nepal is observing Gen Z Martyrs Day today, one year after thousands of young people took to the streets in a movement that began with opposition to social media restrictions and grew into a nationwide demand for good governance, accountability and greater opportunities. The protests of September 8–9 last year raised concerns over corruption, nepotism, unemployment, inequality and political interference, eventually triggering a major political upheaval and the fall of the then government. A transitional administration subsequently oversaw the March 5 election, which saw the Rastriya Swatantra Party secure a sweeping victory, with Balendra Shah becoming Prime Minister. The present government has placed several of the Gen Z movement’s demands at the centre of its agenda, including corruption control, political accountability, administrative reform, transparency, employment creation and greater youth participation. Measures include expanding digital public services, reducing the number of federal ministries to 18 and removing or merging administrative structures in an effort to improve efficiency and reduce costs. The government has also moved to limit political interference by removing party-affiliated trade and student unions from public offices and universities. As Nepal marks the first anniversary of the movement and honours those who lost their lives, the occasion has also renewed public attention on whether the political changes of the past year have delivered meaningful progress on the issues that brought young people onto the streets. The anniversary therefore serves not only as a day of remembrance, but also as a test of how far the country has moved towards the good governance, accountability and opportunities demanded by a generation that sought fundamental change.