Balendra Shah, the 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician popularly known as “Balen,” was sworn in as Nepal’s youngest-ever Prime Minister on Friday, March 27, 2026. His three-year-old Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) achieved a historic landslide victory, securing 182 seats in the 275-member parliament. The appointment follows a period of intense political upheaval and Gen-Z-led anti-corruption protests that toppled the previous government last September. Shah, a former mayor of Kathmandu and the nation’s first Madhesi premier, took his oath at the President House wearing his signature black cap and sunglasses.
Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah was sworn in as prime minister of Nepal, tasked with restoring political stability and creating jobs in the poor Himalayan nation long troubled by fragile governments and weak growth prospects https://t.co/L22JLPr2yi
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 27, 2026
Marking his transition to power, Shah released a viral rap song titled Jay Mahakaali just a day before the ceremony. The track, which focuses on national unity and hope, has already garnered millions of views. His ascent signals a major shift in Nepal’s political landscape, where traditional giants like the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) were relegated to distant second and third places. China was among the first to extend congratulations, pledging support for Nepal’s sovereignty as the new administration begins the difficult task of addressing endemic corruption and the country’s high rate of labor migration.
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