Balendra Shah, the former rapper and engineer who became the face of a youth-led political revolution, is set to take office as Nepal’s next Prime Minister.
His Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) secured a historic landslide victory in the first general election held since mass protests toppled the previous administration, reports The Guardian.
The RSP, an organisation founded just three years ago by a former television executive, has achieved a rare outright majority in a system typically defined by fragile coalitions.
With the final stages of counting underway, the RSP has already captured at least 122 of the 165 directly elected seats, placing the party on track for the most significant electoral mandate since Nepal’s transition to democracy.
Senior RSP leader Ramesh Paudyal hailed the result as a turning point for the nation. “It is the victory of hope and change,” he remarked.
“It is the most beautiful endorsement of the gen Z movement. The true tribute to the gen Z martyrs will be expressed through the work carried out every day by the government led by Balendra Shah.”
A mandate born of unrest The electoral surge follows a period of intense national upheaval. In September last year, a ban on social media triggered a massive youth uprising, fuelled by deep-seated frustration over corruption and a lack of economic prospects.
The subsequent government crackdown led to the deaths of 19 protesters, eventually escalating into widespread unrest that claimed 70 lives.
The violence forced the resignation of the veteran Communist leader KP Sharma Oli and his government. While protest leaders initially invited the 35-year-old Shah to serve as interim Prime Minister, he declined, choosing instead to seek a formal mandate in the 5 March elections.
Defeating the old guard Shah, widely known as “Balen,” rose to national fame through rap music that critiqued poverty and unemployment before entering public service as the Mayor of Kathmandu in 2022.
During his mayoral term, he focused on urban renewal, including the removal of unauthorised structures and improving the city’s rubbish collection systems.
In a direct challenge to the political establishment, Shah contested the Jhapa-5 constituency against the 74-year-old former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
Shah secured a dominant victory on Saturday night, receiving 68,348 votes to Oli’s 18,724. Upon conceding, the former Prime Minister offered his successor an “uninterrupted five-year term, heartfelt best wishes.”
