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A former rapper is expected to win Nepal’s first election since youth-led protests ousted the incumbent political leadership last year.
Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, who won the Kathmandu mayoral election in 2022, has emerged as a candidate for Nepal’s next prime minister.
The party he leads, Rastriya Swatantra (RSP) or National Independent Party, has won 117 of 165 directly elected seats and is ahead in eight other constituencies, the results of which were published on Sunday morning.
Shah emerged as a leading figure in the 2025 uprising, sparked by Gen Z-led protests ousted former prime minister Khadga Prasad Oli.
The engineering graduate has been prominent on the Nepali hip hop scene for several years, performing under the name Balen.
One of the songs, “Balidan”, which means sacrifice in Nepali – features Shah occupying the country’s upper class, and has been viewed more than 12 million times on YouTube.
Mr Shah in the 2019 music video performed his song “Balidan” under the name Balen.
Shah has run a campaign promising to increase Nepal’s per capita income, double the country’s economy to $100 billion GDP and create jobs.
The election results show that his message resonated with voters in Nepal, where 20% of the 30 million population lives in poverty.
Mr Shah received his winning certificate. photo: AP
Other political parties and independent candidates have so far won a total of 36 seats.
In Nepal, voters directly elect 165 members of the House of Representatives, and the remaining 110 seats in the 275-member House are allocated through a system of proportional representation.
Shah’s party also leads the tally, with about 51% of the 110 seats.
Voters fill out two ballot papers, one to vote for the candidate of their choice which is usually a candidate from a political party and another to vote for the party they like.
Vote counting is still ongoing, and final results are expected this week.
photo: PA
The relatively new RSP has unseated the two dominant parties, the Nepali Congress and the Nepalese Communist Party, which had alternate terms in government.
RSP supporters openly celebrated the election victory, offering bouquets, bouquets and scarves to the winners, and smearing them with bright red powder.
“The future prime minister has clearly stated that there will be no compromise when it comes to the country’s development,” said RSP party member and volunteer Khagendra Chapagain.
Our first agenda is nation building, and the focus is on working in the areas of health, education and eradicating corruption.
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Party officials have asked candidates and their supporters to refrain from victory rallies or other public celebrations to honor the lives lost during the election. protests last year.
Demonstrations against corruption and bad governance were sparked by a ban on social media, which later developed into an uprising that led to Oli’s resignation.
An estimated 77 people were killed and hundreds injured in the protests.
Supporters of the Rastriya Swatantra Party celebrate. photo: AP
Analysts say the party will have enough members in parliament to form a one-party government but faces challenges in running the government.
“The problem or challenge for this new party is how to make this happen, given limited resources and limited institutional support,” said Keshab Prasad Poudel, an independent analyst.
“Because people’s expectations are high, it doesn’t mean the new party can meet them.”
The Himalayan country has struggled with economic uncertainty and political instability since protests led to the abolition of the monarchy in 2008.
