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Ex-Rapper Balendra Shah Wins Landslide Majority in Nepal Election
Balendra Shah's Rastriya Swatantra Party won nearly 60% of directly elected seats, fueled by youth-led protests and anti-corruption sentiment to unseat long-standing political elites.
- On March 7, Election Commission trends show the Rastriya Swatantra Party on course for a parliamentary majority, potentially making Balendra 'Balen' Shah prime minister, after he defeated K.P. Sharma Oli.
- After the September uprising that toppled the government, youth mobilisation drove change as Shah emerged with over 3.5 million followers and a strong Kathmandu mayoral record.
- With more than 80 per cent of ballots counted, Shah secured more than 55,500 votes against Oli's 15,409, while early trends showed the Rastriya Swatantra Party leading in around 100 constituencies.
- The Nepali Congress conceded defeat as analysts projected government formation by the Rastriya Swatantra Party, which could reshape Nepal's politics between China and India.
- The RSP's manifesto vows to raise per capita income from $1,447 to $3,000 and double the economy to $100 billion within five years, but Acharya cautioned 'It needs a team, experts and support'.
255 Articles
255 Articles
He won the election after the Z-generation protests.
BEIJING. A former rapper and former mayor of Kathmandu has won Nepal's election in a landslide. Balendra Shah, 35, is shattering the old political hierarchy that has long ruled the country. This is exactly what the young protesters on the streets wanted the protests to lead to six months ago.
Balen Affiliated RSP Maintains Lead in Nepal's Parliamentary Vote Count, Final Results Expected Next Week
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. With counting completed in 164 out of the total 165 constituencies, RSP has won 125 seats with Nepali Congress has secured 18 seats while the CPN-UML has won nine constituencies. The Nepali Communist Party has secured seven seats under the FPTP category. World News | Balen Affiliated RSP Maintains Lead in Nepal's Parliamentary Vote Count, Final Results Expected Next Week.
Once a kingdom, then a playground for a corrupt political elite, the impoverished Himalayan country has now been swept by a landslide victory for a party of smartphone protesters, led by a rapper. Autocrats in Asia and Africa may be watching anxiously to see if “these young people of today” can govern.
Nepal elects ex-rapper to lead post-revolt country
What happenedVoters in Nepal have handed a landslide victory to the recently formed Rastriya Swatantra (RSP), or National Independent Party, putting former rapper and Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah on track to be prime minister, according to partial results released Sunday. The election, held Thursday, was the first since youth-led protests toppled the Himalayan country’s previous government last year. Shah, 36, also unseated the ousted prime min…
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