A study conducted by researchers at the University of Bath in 2023 analysing cognitive trends during the Brexit found that individuals with lower cognitive ability were more susceptible to populist agendas and persuasive campaign rhetoric than those with stronger academic backgrounds and higher cognitive ability. Another similar study conducted by the Department of Politics and Genetic Studies, University of Minnesota, identified a correlation between intelligence of the people and their political views. The results published in Intelligence (2024) show that higher intelligence quotient (IQ) and polygenic scores for cognitive performance are correlated and potentially predict liberal political beliefs. The people in this category are able to decide on their own, irrespective of the populistic performance of the politicians. On a personal note, having regularly supervised and led electoral proceedings at polling stations in Germany during federal, provincial, and local elections, I observed that the ultra-right and extremist political party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), tended to receive a higher share of votes in regions with greater poverty levels and lower average educational attainment. Correlating all these observations with Nepal, the populist politics has always flourished, especially after the reinstatement of multi-party democracy in 1990. During the first Constituent Assembly election in 2008, the Nepal Communist Party (Maoist), which entered mainstream politics after a decade-long armed conflict, got overwhelming support from the people. The atrocities caused by the Maoists were immediately forgotten, and they were instantly regarded as the saviors of the nation. This is a fitting example of a correlation between lower cognitive ability and populist political beliefs. According to a report published by World Population Review, Nepal has been ranked as having the lowest average IQ in the world. Although this figure has been widely criticised by many researchers and experts as pseudoscientific, the growing tendency of a large section of people supporting populist political beliefs is often cited by others as aligning with the report's conclusion. The gargantuan promises such as converting Nepal into Switzerland within 10 years, constructing east-west railways in five years, providing cooking gas through pipeline, free of cost foreign employment, and so on, have always garnered votes for the politicians. It seems that a large section of the people does not intellectually analyse the pros and cons of the promises made by the politicians during the election campaign. Therefore, last-minute voter manipulation has often played a decisive role in helping candidates secure ballots. On the eve of the federal election set on the backdrop of the violent Gen-Z movement, populist politics and opponent bashing are in their prime. All sort of pantomime of many candidates who do not have the slightest knowledge of legislative responsibility are omnipresent in the visual media. The alternative-claiming political outfits are putting in significant effort to receive public endorsement to grab the statutory power. Amid the last moment political campaigning, a dubious report related to the Gen-Z movement has been released by the BBC. The report documents the atrocities conducted by the state towards the demonstrators that claimed 19 lives on the very first day of the protest. It was indeed an inhumane act and the concerned individuals should be unconditionally brought to book. However, the report is deviously mum on the other side of the story. The proposed protest was stirred by the official announcement by the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) to unconditionally support the movement. The then Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Balendra Sah, had called the youngsters younger than 28 years to participate in the protest through his social media handle. Moreover, Hami Nepal organisation has been known to submit an application at the Kathmandu District Administration Office seeking permission to hold a peaceful protest on September 8. These interlinking points have not been addressed by the BBC report. Hence, the report seems to be a last-moment public manipulation towards a certain political party. Interestingly, all these stake-holders of the Gen-Z movement have converged into the RSP to contest the upcoming election. The people with low IQ, lower academic status, and the ones that are frustrated by the misdoings of the past governments are not in a state to intellectually analyse all ongoing last-moment political mischiefs, including the BBC report. It seems that a large section of people is going to endorse the alternative-claiming political outfits despite their cheap populist political stunts. The traditional political parties themselves are to be blamed for their downfall. However, it will be interesting to see how the people will respond to the reformed Nepali Congress. The Gen-Z movement was an unfortunate incident in Nepal's history that claimed scores of lives and devasted public and state property worth billions. However, the narrative that only the traditional parties are the culprits is incomplete and biased. The people and institutions that called for the minors to participate in the protest and the political parties supporting the arson of public and state properties are also equally accountable for the Gen-Z movement. Not only the national authorities but international authorities established to ensure children's rights should also take this into account. Therefore, voters should carefully reflect before casting their valuable ballot and support candidates of integrity and unblemished character. Else, the persistent cycle of instability and misgovernment will continue. Dr Joshi is a senior scientist and independent opinion maker based in Germany pushpa.joshi@gmail.com