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3mo ago

Nepal Confirms Landslide Win for Ex-Rapper Balendra Shah, Clearing Path to Youngest Prime Minister

The Gen-Z-fueled Rastriya Swatantra Party captured 182 of 275 seats, signaling a generational break with Nepal’s long‑ruling elites.

Anhänger der Rastriya Swatantra Party feiern den Wahlsieg
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In Nepal hat die Wahlbehörde den klaren Sieg des 35-jährigen Ex-Rappers und Ex-Bürgermeisters Balendra Shah bei der Parlamentswahl bekanntgegeben. Wie die Behörde nach Auszählung aller Stimmen mitteilte, errang Shahs Partei die absolute Mehrheit.

Overview

  • Election officials said the Rastriya Swatantra Party won an outright majority with 182 seats, ahead of Nepali Congress with 38 and K.P. Sharma Oli’s CPN-UML with 25.
  • Parliament is now expected to elect 35-year-old Balendra Shah as prime minister after his party’s majority was confirmed.
  • Shah defeated former prime minister Oli in his Jhapa-5 stronghold by a wide margin, underscoring the scale of the upset.
  • The result crowns a youth-driven backlash to last September’s crackdown on protests over corruption and social-media curbs, which left more than 70 dead and led to Oli’s resignation.
  • Shah faces steep tests that include delivering on jobs and anti-corruption pledges, balancing ties with India and China, and navigating potential strains within the RSP leadership.