Ex-rapper’s political party leads early results in Nepal’s first election since 2025 youth revolt

Nepal’s Ex-Rapper-Led Party Takes Early Lead in Parliamentary Elections

Early results from Nepal’s parliamentary elections show a dramatic shift in the country’s political landscape, with a relatively new party led by a former rapper surging ahead of established political forces.

The Rastriya Swatantra, or National Independent party, has already secured 60 of 165 directly elected seats and leads in 61 other constituencies, according to preliminary results released Saturday by Nepal’s Election Commission.

The party’s prime ministerial candidate, Balendra Shah, has emerged as the face of political change in Nepal. The 35-year-old former rapper first made headlines in 2022 when he won the Kathmandu mayoral race as an independent candidate. He later became a prominent figure during the 2025 uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli amid widespread protests against corruption and poor governance.

In a symbolic victory that underscores the shifting political winds, Shah directly challenged and defeated former Prime Minister Oli in a southeastern district, securing almost four times as many votes as the once-powerful incumbent.

Shah’s campaign resonated with voters by focusing on improving health and education services for Nepal’s poor and disadvantaged communities. His message tapped into deep-seated public frustration with traditional political parties, which many Nepalis view as corrupt and ineffective.

“This election represents a clear mandate for change,” said political analyst Maya Sharma in Kathmandu. “Younger voters especially have lost patience with the established political class and their unfulfilled promises.”

The remaining 13 seats announced so far have gone to the Nepal Congress party and two communist parties, traditionally the dominant forces in Nepali politics. The Nepal Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) have alternated power for decades but now face their most serious challenge yet from Shah’s upstart movement.

Nepal’s electoral system divides parliamentary representation between directly elected seats and proportional representation. Voters directly elect 165 members to the House of Representatives, while the remaining 110 seats in the 275-member lower chamber are allocated through proportional representation based on each party’s share of the popular vote.

Vote counting continues across most constituencies, with election officials using helicopters to collect ballot boxes from remote mountain villages in the northern regions of the country. Final results are expected within the next two days.

The election marks the country’s first parliamentary contest since the youth-led uprising of 2025, which was initially triggered by a controversial social media ban before expanding into broader protests against corruption and demands for greater government accountability. The protests turned violent, resulting in dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries when security forces clashed with demonstrators.

The Rastriya Swatantra Party, founded only in 2022, has quickly transformed from political outsider to potential governing party. Its rapid rise reflects deep disillusionment with Nepal’s traditional politics in a country that has struggled with political instability, endemic corruption, and economic challenges since transitioning from a monarchy to a republic in 2008.

Economic issues remain paramount for many voters in Nepal, where remittances from citizens working abroad account for approximately a quarter of the country’s GDP. The nation continues to face significant challenges in infrastructure development, job creation, and recovery from the devastating 2015 earthquake.

International observers have described the election as largely peaceful despite isolated incidents of violence, with voter turnout estimated at around 65 percent, slightly lower than the previous parliamentary election.

As ballot counting continues, Nepalis anxiously await final results that could potentially usher in a new political era in the Himalayan nation.