Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah was sworn in as Nepal’s prime minister on Friday at the President House in Kathmandu, following a landslide election victory that has reshaped the country’s political landscape.
Shah, 35, becomes the youngest prime minister in decades and the first Madhesi leader of the Himalayan nation.
His three-year-old Rastriya Swatantra Party secured 182 seats in the 275-member parliament in the March 5 election, marking a decisive mandate from voters.
The election was the first since the anti-corruption Gen Z protests last September, during which 76 people were killed.
As a former mayor of Kathmandu, Shah now faces the dual challenge of restoring political stability and tackling unemployment in a country long plagued by fragile governments and slow economic growth.
Political analyst Puranjan Acharya outlined the immediate expectations facing the new administration.
“The first test of the new government lies in transparent and prompt delivery of services to people, who expect early signs of good governance from Sunday itself,” Acharya said.
He added that a key early challenge would be implementing recommendations from a panel that investigated the deadly crackdown on protesters, including prosecuting those responsible, among them former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli.
The youth-led protests were driven by widespread frustration over unemployment and corruption in Nepal, a nation of 30 million people where roughly one-fifth live in poverty and an estimated 1,500 leave daily in search of work abroad.
Political instability remains a persistent concern, with 32 governments formed since 1990, none completing a full five-year term.
In the recent election, the Nepali Congress came second with 38 seats, while the Communist Party of Nepal (UML), led by Oli, secured 25 seats.
Former Chief Justice Sushila Karki oversaw the interim administration leading up to the vote, ensuring a smooth transition to the new government.
