Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah was sworn in as Nepal's Prime Minister on Friday, tasked with restoring political stability and addressing job creation in the nation. His Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) secured a sweeping majority in the March 5 election.
Key points
- Shah, 35, is Nepal's youngest prime minister in decades and the first Madhesi leader.
- The RSP won 182 out of 275 seats in parliament following the first vote after deadly anti-corruption protests in September last year.
- Shah's early challenges include implementing the report investigating the protest violence, which recommended prosecuting former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli.
- The Nepali Congress party finished a distant second with 38 seats, while Oli's Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) secured 25 seats.
Why it matters
Shah's ascension marks the arrival of a new generation of leaders in Nepal, promising to tackle endemic corruption and unemployment that fuels emigration.
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