US EditionEx-rapper Balendra Shah sworn in as Nepal prime minister after sweeping election win
Balendra Shah, 35, leads Rastriya Swatantra Party to win nearly two-thirds of seats in parliament after youth protests against corruption killed 76, marking a generational political shift.
- On Friday, President Ram Chandra Paudel administered the oath of office to Balendra Shah, who became Nepal's 47th prime minister following his Rastriya Swatantra Party's landslide parliamentary victory.
- Shah's appointment follows a March 5 landslide, where the Rastriya Swatantra Party secured 182 of 275 parliamentary seats, marking the first vote since the Gen Z anti-corruption uprising that claimed 76 lives last year.
- The ceremony featured Hindu and Buddhist rituals, including recitations by 108 Batuks and 107 Lamas, while Shah is expected to form a small cabinet of 15 to 18 ministers.
- Prime Minister Shah faces immediate pressure to deliver political stability and jobs, alongside implementing a probe into the previous government's crackdown on anti-corruption protesters, a key demand of victim families.
- Political analyst Puranjan Acharya noted the new government's first test is prompt service delivery starting Sunday, a critical challenge given Nepal's history of 32 governments since 1990 failing to complete five-year terms.
38 Articles
38 Articles
Three weeks after the elections in Nepal, former rapper Shah has been sworn in as the country's new head of government.
Nepal has a new Prime Minister: Balendra »Balen« Shah, 35, rapper and ex-mayor of the capital Kathmandu. After the election victory of his RSP, he must meet the expectations of Gen Z.
Nepal: Ex-rapper Balendra Shah sworn in as prime minister
Nepal's rapper-turned politician Balendra Shah was worn into the country's most powerful office on Friday, a month after he swept the general elections on promises of creating jobs and restoring political stability. Shah, 35, is now the youngest person to be prime minister of the Himalayan nation in decades, and the first to be Prime Minister from the Madhesi community — an indigenous community with strong cultural and linguistic similarities to…
From Rapping to Ruling: Balen Shah Takes Nepal's Helm
From Rapping to Ruling: Balen Shah Takes Nepal's Helm Balendra Shah, famously known as Balen and a former rapper, has been inaugurated as Nepal's youngest democratically elected prime minister. The swearing-in marks a shift in the nation's politics following youth-led protests.Balen's ascension to the role at just 35 years old signifies a remarkable entry into the political sphere for the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which performed a groundb…
The Independent
The Independent (US)Rapper Balendra Shah sworn in as Nepal’s youngest prime minister
Former Kathmandu mayor seen as symbol of change in Himalayan country roiled by political instability and corruption
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- 36% of the sources lean Left, 36% of the sources are Center
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