Who Is Balendra Shah, The Rapper Set to Be Nepal’s Next Prime Minister?:
Balendra Shah’s party won a landslide in the election that followed Nepal’s Gen Z ...
nytimes.com/2026/03/09/world/asia/balendra-shah-nepal-prime-minister.html
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Nepal’s Youngest Leader Emerges from Rap RootsBalendra Shah’s party secured 275 parliamentary seats after Nepal’s Gen Z uprising ousted the prior government in 2025.
Key FactsMar 10, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: nytimes.com
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: nytimes.com
- At 35, Balendra Shah has been a rapper, mayor, and engineer, poised to become Nepal’s youngest prime minister.
- His party, the Rastriya Swatantra Party, won a historic majority in the recent elections.
- The vote followed a Gen Z-led uprising that toppled a widely criticized and corrupt administration last year.
- Shah is regarded as a pragmatic outsider focused on reform, distancing himself from traditional party politics.
People are saying, 'Balen is a savior for Nepal.'— Sanjeev Humagain, a political scientist at Nepal Open University
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