Rapper-politician Balendra Shah was sworn in as Nepal’s new prime minister on Friday, becoming the youngest elected leader of the Himalayan country after last year’s mass protests upended the political order.
Mr Shah, 35, was elected leader of the centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party on Thursday night after securing a huge mandate in the parliamentary election earlier this month.
Clad in skin-tight trousers, a matching jacket, the signature black Nepali cloth cap and sunglasses, he took the oath of office at the President’s House in the presence of diplomats and senior government officials.
Mr Shah is Nepal's youngest elected prime minister and the first from the Madhesi community, which inhabits the southern plains bordering India, to lead the Himalayan nation that’s wedged between Asian giants India and China.
He now faces challenges of restoring political stability and creating jobs in the poor nation long troubled by fragile governments and weak growth prospects.
Hours ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, Mr Shah released a rap song that has already been watched by some 2.30 million since its release.
“The strength of unity is my national power,” Mr Shah, better known as Balen, rapped in Nepali. “Undivided Nepali, this time history is being made.”
The election this month was the country’s first since the deadly youth-led uprising last September toppled K P Sharma Oli’s government amid dissatisfaction over rising unemployment and corruption. At least 76 people were killed in the protests, which were sparked by a brief social media ban, with many of them shot by police after the government ordered a crackdown.
Newly elected members of parliament were sworn in on Thursday.
A recent report by CIVICUS, a citizen action nonprofit based in Johannesburg, described Nepal as a “defining example” of how Gen Z was reshaping activism, turning fast-moving, decentralised protests into real political change.
The analysis found that Nepal’s movement had resonated far beyond its borders and activists in other countries were drawing direct inspiration from its tactics, particularly the use of digital platforms, decentralised coordination, and leader-light structures.
It said Nepal stood out for how quickly a single-issue protest evolved into a broader democratic turning point while similar revolutions were also led in Bangladesh and other countries.
The RSP, which was founded in 2022, clinched a landslide victory, winning 125 directly elected seats plus a further 57 through proportional representation, giving it a total 182 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives.
The Nepali Congress party came second, with 38 seats. In Nepal, voters directly elect 165 members to the House of Representatives. The remaining 110 seats are allocated through a proportional representation system under which political parties are assigned seats based on their share of the vote.
Mr Shah is a political novice with just three years as mayor of the capital Kathmandu. He is seen as a symbol of change and a shift away from the failures of the established leadership after gaining rock star-like popularity on social media during the protests.
However, some question whether the four-year-old RSP would be able to usher in political stability and deliver on its promises.
The new leader took over as an independent panel set up to investigate deaths and violence during last year’s protests recommended Mr Oli be prosecuted for negligence for failing to prevent dozens of deaths.
The panel held Mr Oli, 74, responsible for not taking any action to stop hours of firing that killed at least 19 protesters on the first day of the demonstrations that forced him to resign.
On Wednesday night, the panel said 76 people were killed and 2,522 wounded during two days of unrest. The government had said 77 people were killed.
The report also held Mr Oli’s home minister, Ramesh Lekhak, and the then police chief, Chandra Kuber Khapung, responsible and said they should be prosecuted as well.
If prosecuted as recommended by the panel and found guilty by the court, all three could face up to 10 years in jail.
Mr Oli rejected the findings as unacceptable.
"The report is extremely negligent, character assassination and hate politics. It is regrettable," the Annapurna Post quoted him as saying.
It remains to be seen if Mr Shah and his party will take forward the recommendations.
China demands investigation after Nepal college burns copies of Xi Jinping’s book
Imran Khan’s son calls for UN intervention to end father’s ‘torture’
At least 24 people die after bus plunges into Bangladesh river
Pakistan tells fans to skip travelling for cricket matches as fuel crisis deepens
Imran Khan speaks out over inhumane treatment of wife Bushra Bibi in call with son
Pakistan and Afghanistan agree Eid ceasefire as Kabul holds mass funeral
