Nepal: Gen Z buoys ex‑rapper's party to landslide victory
March 13, 2026
Nepal's election commission on Friday confirmed a landslide victory for reformist politician Balendra Shah and his Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) in the country's parliamentary election.
The result marks a dramatic political shift in the Himalayan nation, with Shah — until recently mayor of the capital, Kathmandu — seen as a symbol of generational change.
What happened in Nepal's election?
The commission said Shah's centrist RSP secured 182 of the 275 seats in the lower house, giving it an outright majority and clearing the way for the 35-year-old former rapper to become prime minister.
The result marks a dramatic political shift in the Himalayan nation.
The center-left Nepali Congress, which was previously the largest party in parliament, finished a distant second with 38 seats. The Communist Party of Nepal–Unified Marxist Leninist, led by former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli, won 25 seats. Shah also defeated the 74-year-old Oli in his own constituency, the commission said earlier.
The election took place last week, six months after mass protests forced Oli from office. The demonstrations, driven largely by young Gen Z activists protesting corruption and economic hardship, turned violent after security forces opened fire, leaving more than 70 people dead and several government buildings burned.
Oli eventually resigned under pressure, and a caretaker administration led by former chief justice Sushila Karki took over ahead of the vote.
Who is Balendra Shah?
The 35-year-old Shah first gained prominence in Nepal’s hip-hop scene in the 2010s and has attracted strong support from younger voters hoping for political reform and a break with the country's traditional leadership.
His music is noted for its socially conscious themes, such as corruption, inequality, and urban life in Nepal.
He won the Kathmandu mayoral election as an independent candidate four years ago before stepping down earlier this year to join the RSP.
The next government faces the daunting task of trying to put the country's floundering economy on a better footing, as well as addressing the corruption issues that toppled the last administration.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar