Misinformation During Nepal's 2026 Elections

<jats:p>Misinformation During Nepal's 2026 General Elections examines how false and misleading content shaped the country's first vote after the 2025 Gen Z movement. Drawing on 102 fact-checked items and 1,020 monitored instances from the final month of campaigning, it finds that low-cost "cheapfakes," not fabrication, dominated; that misinformation clustered around prominent leaders and disproportionately targeted women; and that Facebook remained the central channel. The first study of its kind in Nepal, it offers evidence-based recommendations for information integrity and electoral resilience.</jats:p>