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Balen Shah: Ex-Rapper Sworn in as Nepal's Prime Minister

Balendra Shah's Rastriya Swatantra Party won about two-thirds of parliamentary seats, driven by youth support and promises of anti-corruption and 1.2 million new jobs.

  • On Friday, Balendra Shah takes the oath as Nepal's prime minister before President Ramchandra Paudel at the Federal Parliament, marking the 35-year-old's historic ascent from Kathmandu mayor to the nation's top office.
  • After three years as Kathmandu's mayor, Shah joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party as its prime-ministerial candidate, appealing to voters angry at corruption, unemployment, and economic stagnation that fueled last September's deadly youth-led protests.
  • The RSP won about two-thirds of the 275 seats in the lower House of Representatives, shattering entrenched political elites. Shah's campaign resonated with youth who adopted his song Nepal Haseko as a protest anthem.
  • Critics have raised concerns over Shah's past heavy-handed tactics against street vendors as Kathmandu mayor. Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, told the BBC: "We hope as prime minister, there would be a focus on a more rules-based order."
  • The new administration faces significant challenges including chronic unemployment, a stuttering economy, and millions of Nepalis working in the Middle East. Some observers question whether the four-year-old RSP is capable of delivering on its bold anti-corruption and job-creation pledges.
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64 Articles

Lean Left

After the parliamentary elections of 5 March, born of the rebellion of the Z generation, the new parliamentarians were sworn in. The former singer Balendra Shah becomes Prime Minister and Rabi Lamichhane, under the blow of judicial investigations, acts behind the scenes.

·Paris, France
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Daily Post-AthenianDaily Post-Athenian
+6 Reposted by 6 other sources
Lean Left

Nepali rapper to be sworn in as new prime minister

Nepal's rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah was sworn in as prime minister on Friday after sweeping the first election since deadly anti-corruption protests toppled the government last year.

Idaho PressIdaho Press
+4 Reposted by 4 other sources
Center

Nepal’s youngest prime minister takes oath of office months after a youth-led uprising toppled the previous government

Nepal’s youngest prime minister takes oath of office months after a youth-led uprising toppled the previous government.

·Cherokee County, United States
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  • 63% of the sources lean Left
63% Left

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risingnepaldaily.com broke the news in on Thursday, March 26, 2026.
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