Balendra Shah, Nepal’s youngest prime minister, has been officially sworn in following a landslide election victory that came months after youth-led protests toppled the previous government.

The 35-year-old leader, widely known as Balen, was appointed prime minister by President Ram Chandra Paudel on Friday. His party, the Rastriya Swatantra Party, secured 182 seats in the 275-member parliament in the March 5 election.

The vote marked the first national election since anti-corruption protests led largely by Generation Z demonstrators, during which 76 people were killed.

Shah, a rapper-turned-politician, took the oath at the President House in the presence of diplomats and senior officials. He wore his signature black Nepali cap along with formal attire during the ceremony.

A day before his swearing-in, Shah released his first public message in the form of a rap song shared on social media. In the track titled *Jay Mahakaali*, he expressed optimism about the country’s future and emphasized unity as a national strength. The music video, featuring campaign scenes and large public gatherings, quickly gained nearly three million views.

A former mayor of Kathmandu, Shah has also made history as Nepal’s first Madhesi prime minister, representing communities from the southern plains bordering India.

China congratulated Nepal on the new leadership, with its foreign ministry stating support for the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The political shift comes amid long-standing public frustration over unemployment and widespread corruption in the Himalayan nation of around 30 million people. Approximately one-fifth of the population lives in poverty, while about 1,500 citizens leave the country daily in search of work abroad.

Although Shah did not directly lead the protests, he publicly backed the youth-driven movement that brought down the previous administration.

Nepal has struggled with political instability for decades, having seen 32 governments since 1990, none of which completed a full five-year term.

In the latest election, the Nepali Congress secured 38 seats, while the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), led by KP Sharma Oli, won 25 seats.

The country was overseen by former Chief Justice Sushila Karki during the interim period leading up to the election.
 

BOB Post