Nepal: Ex-PM Oli’s party draws thousands in biggest rally since Gen Z protests

Tens of thousands of people turned out on Saturday in Bhaktapur, near Nepal’s capital, for what has become the largest political rally in the country since the youth‑led Gen Z protests that shook the South-Asian nation three months ago.

Supporters of former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, who was forced out of office during the anti‑graft protests, filled the streets to launch a three‑day convention of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist‑Leninist). While organisers had initially said they hoped for up to 300,000 participants, police put the crowd at around 70,000, according to Reuters.

Political analyst Puranjan Acharya, while speaking with Reuters,  described the turnout as “the biggest mobilisation of supporters” in Kathmandu since the Gen Z movement erupted in September.

The Gen Z protests, driven largely by young Nepalis demanding an end to corruption and greater transparency, spiralled into unrest that killed 77 people and injured more than 2,000. During the upheaval, key government buildings including the Prime Minister’s Office, Supreme Court and Parliament were set on fire, and Oli was eventually removed from office.

Addressing the crowd, Oli slammed the dissolution of parliament by the interim government led by former Chief Justice Sushila Karki, calling it “unconstitutional.” The party has since petitioned Nepal’s Supreme Court to restore the dissolved legislature.

“We are being projected as anti‑Gen Z youths. But this is not true,” Oli told supporters, pushing back against critics who suggested his party opposed the youth movement.

UML General Secretary Shankar Pokhrel echoed this sentiment, saying the crowd’s size showed the party still “lives in the hearts of the people.”

The rally also served as a build‑up to internal party elections, with more than 2,000 delegates set to vote for a new UML president. The winner is expected to lead the party into parliamentary elections scheduled for March 5, 2026.