- A 35-year-old rap star, Balendra Shah, has emerged as Nepal’s prime minister after a landslide electoral victory
- The victory comes after his party, Rastriya Swatantra Party, secured 182 of 275 parliamentary seats
- His win follows deadly anti-corruption protests that killed at least 77 people
Balendra Shah, Nepal’s rapper-turned-politician, was sworn in as prime minister on Friday, March 27, after securing a sweeping victory in the country’s first election since last year’s deadly anti-corruption protests that toppled the government.
The 35-year-old reformist, popularly known as Balen, led the Rastriya Swatantra Party to a dominant win, campaigning on a platform centered on youth-driven political change.
“I, Balendra Shah, in the name of the country and people, pledge that I will be loyal to the constitution,” Shah declared during his swearing-in ceremony, dressed in his signature all-black outfit and dark sunglasses.
Supporters gathered at the event erupted in cheers, chanting his name as he officially assumed office.
Shah's rise comes in the aftermath of a youth-led anti-corruption uprising that left at least 77 people dead.
The protests were initially triggered by a brief social media ban but quickly evolved into a broader outcry against economic hardship in the nation of 30 million people.
A day before taking office, Shah broke his public silence following his March 5 electoral victory by releasing a rap song on social media.
“The strength of unity is my national power,” he said in the track, which quickly gained traction, amassing nearly three million views within hours of its release.
He continued, “My heart is full of courage, my red blood is boiling; my brothers stand with me, this time we will rise.”
“May my breath not run out; I will run like a leopard,” he added, in a video showcasing clips from his campaign trail.
The RSP secured a commanding majority, winning 182 out of 275 seats in the House of Representatives.
Shah campaigned alongside Rabi Lamichhane, the party’s president and a former deputy prime minister and interior minister, who remains an influential figure in the new administration.
Meanwhile, outgoing interim prime minister Sushila Karki formally handed over leadership in a televised farewell, expressing optimism about the country’s future under younger leadership.
“I am confident that the new government to be formed under the leadership of the youth will work towards ending corruption in the country, establishing good governance, creating jobs within the country, economic development and social justice,” she said.
“I am looking forward to the bright future of this country with full confidence, where our unity, honesty and the hard work of every citizen will write a new history,” she added.
Karki, who led the caretaker administration for six months, also revealed that a report into the violent crackdown on protesters would soon be released.
According to a leaked version of the report, investigators recommended the prosecution of former prime minister KP Sharma Oli, who was ousted during the uprising.
Oli, a four-time prime minister and Marxist leader, was defeated by Shah in his own constituency.
The report also called for investigations into former interior minister Ramesh Lekhak and ex-police chief Chandra Kuber Khapung.
It noted that Lekhak bore “overall responsibility for home administration, security agencies, and maintaining law and order,” adding that both he and Oli “did not appear to have made any effort on the afternoon… to prevent further human casualties.”
Although the report stated it was “not established that there was an order to shoot,” it emphasised that “no effort was made to stop or control the firing, and due to their negligent conduct, even minors lost their lives.”
Of the 63 completed autopsies, 48 victims were confirmed to have died from gunshot wounds, most of them to the chest or head.