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Southasia Weekly - 6 March 2026. The only way to see Southasia. Support independent journalism. Support Himal - www.himalmag.com-support-himal
The war in Iran, Nepal goes to the vote, Southasia's death toll in Ukraine-Russia war and more
Balendra Shah (right) and Rabi Lamicchane (second from left) of the Rashtriya Swatantra Party campaign for Nepal’s 2026 election. The RSP is poised to dominate Nepal’s new parliament, with voters roundly rejecting the country’s establishment parties.
By
Pranaya Rana
A landslide victory in Nepal’s 2026 election sees the RSP sweep out the old establishment, leaving Balendra Shah and Rabi Lamichhane as the big new faces of Nepali politics
Sri Lankans top the tally of deaths among Southasians killed fighting for Russia in the Russo-Ukrainian war, with at least 275 citizens killed in action according to new data provided by Ukraine. Suranjith Karunanayake (left) served in the Russian military for a year before his disappearance in mid 2025 after alleging theft by his commander.
New data from Ukraine shows Sri Lankans top Southasian death toll, accounting for 275 of 455 killed, while Southasian fighters and their families report human trafficking and coercion in recruitment
🇳🇵🗳️ Old vs new in the Nepal election – Himal Virtual Cover, March 2026
By
Roman Gautam
Can Balen Shah and the RSP upset the political establishment as Nepal’s voters decide on a way forward after the Gen Z uprising?
K P Oli, deposed as prime minister by the 2025 Gen Z protests, has presided over the CPN-UML’s most successful decade in Nepali politics. Yet Nepal’s progressive gains over this period have come despite the CPN-UML rather than because of it.
As K P Sharma Oli battles the newcomer Balen Shah in the 2026 Nepal election, the CPN-UML’s turn to cronyism and conservative nationalism under his watch is thrown into stark relief
 Nepal 2026 election: The old guard battles new leaders
By
The Editors
Himal’s coverage of the first election in Nepal after the Gen Z revolution of September 2025 toppled the government and rejected the entrenched political system
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