Nepalese have voted in elections to elect a new parliament amid hopes for change nearly six months after deadly Gen Z protests forced Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli to resign.

Counting at most booths was to begin after polls closed at 5pm (11:15 GMT) on Thursday, and early trends are likely to emerge by Friday, Election Commission officials said. However, complete results could take a week.

Turnout in the vote to elect 275 members of the House of Representatives was estimated at 60 percent, acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari said at a news conference.

“Apart from a few isolated incidents of obstruction, the preliminary reports from the national and international observers deployed to monitor the election also indicate that the election has been conducted peacefully,” he said.

Turnout in the country’s previous elections in 2022 was 61 percent.

The vote comes months after youth-led protests shook the South Asian nation when thousands of young Nepalis took to the streets to demand accountability, jobs and an end to corruption. At least 77 people were reported killed in the Gen-Z-led demonstrations.