Rapper Shah Set to Become Nepal’s Youngest Prime Minister
By Momodu Favour
A 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician, Balendra Shah, is set to become the youngest prime minister in the history of Nepal after his party secured a commanding lead in the country’s parliamentary elections.
With about two per cent of votes left to be counted on Wednesday, Shah’s centrist party, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), had already established a clear majority, marking one of the most dramatic political shifts in recent Nepali history.
Shah, who rose to prominence as mayor of the capital city, Kathmandu, stunned political observers after defeating veteran politician and four-time prime minister KP Sharma Oli in his own constituency during the March 5 parliamentary election.
The vote was the first national poll since youth-led anti-corruption protests in September forced the collapse of the previous government.
The demonstrations, driven largely by frustration with corruption and political stagnation, reshaped the country’s political landscape and boosted support for reform-minded candidates.
According to official results, voters elected members into a 275-seat House of Representatives of Nepal, the lower chamber of parliament. Of the seats, 165 were filled through direct elections while 110 were allocated through proportional representation.
Preliminary results show the RSP won 125 out of the 165 directly contested seats — roughly three-quarters of the total — giving the party a dominant position in the legislature.
In the proportional representation vote, the party also holds the largest share of ballots, accounting for nearly half of the votes counted so far, with about 200,000 ballots still outstanding.
Spokesman of the Election Commission of Nepal, Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, said the final results would soon be announced as counting nears completion.
“If the current trend continues, RSP could secure around 176 seats,” analysts say — a landslide victory that would place the party just short of the 183 seats required for a constitutional supermajority.
Constitutional law expert Bipin Adhikari of Kathmandu University said the process of forming a new government could still take more than a week.
“Once the election commission submits its report to the president, he will invite RSP lawmakers to nominate a prime ministerial candidate before the official appointment,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the once-dominant Nepali Congress secured just 18 seats in direct elections, while the Marxist party led by Oli managed only nine — reflecting a sharp decline in support for the country’s traditional political forces.
Shah’s victory has also generated excitement among young voters, with videos circulating on social media showing supporters mimicking the former rapper’s dance moves during campaign events and election celebrations.
Political analysts say the result signals a generational shift in Nepali politics, with many voters backing Shah’s anti-corruption message and promise of sweeping reforms.
