Balen Shah; Rapper turned politician takes oath as Nepal's youngest Prime Minister

Balen Shah sworn in as Nepal’s new Prime Minister and is expected to form a cabinet of 15 to 18 members.

Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah sworn in as Nepal’s prime minister after a landslide win in the country’s first election since last year’s youth-led GenZ protests.

At a special ceremony held at the Office of the President on Friday. Nepal President Ramchandra Paudel administered the oath of office and secrecy after appointing Shah earlier in the day under Article 76(1) of the Constitution.

The ceremony was attended by Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav, Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut, National Assembly Chair Narayan Prasad Dahal, former prime ministers, senior officials, security chiefs and members of the diplomatic community.

As the 47th Prime Minister of Nepal, Balen is one of the youngest persons to be at the helm of the Himalayan nation.

Earlier on Thursday afternoon, Balen also took the oath of secrecy as a member of the House of Representatives (HoR). In 2022, a structural engineer with a signature pair of black rectangular sunglasses and a history in the underground rap scene did the unthinkable Balendra "Balen" Shah dismantled the established political machinery of Nepal to become the Mayor of Kathmandu.

The 35‑year‑old’s victory signals a major shift in Nepali politics, as his promise of change struck a chord with voters frustrated by corruption, nepotism, and elite rule.

Leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), secured a decisive victory in the parliamentary elections by winning 182 out of 275 seats in the House of Representatives (HoR).

Who is Balen Shah?

Balendra Shah, widely known as Balen, won the Jhapa‑5 seat by a wide margin, defeating four‑time prime minister K P Sharma Oli in what was long seen as a stronghold of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist).

The newly elected members of the House of Representatives took their oath at the federal parliament building, kicking off the government formation process three weeks after polling ended.

Balen is set to be sworn in as Nepal’s new Prime Minister and is expected to form a cabinet of 15 to 18 members.

Traditional parties faced heavy losses, with the Nepali Congress winning 38 seats, the Communist Party of Nepal–Unified Marxist–Leninist (CPN‑UML) securing 25, and the Nepali Communist Party taking 17.

Shah was born in 1990 in Naradevi, Kathmandu, and is the youngest son of his parents. His father is an Ayurvedic practitioner, and his mother stayed at home to raise the family. Shah is married and lives with his wife and daughter.

After school, he earned engineering degrees in Kathmandu and later in Karnataka.

In 2013, he rose to fame by winning a popular rap battle in Nepal, delivering sharp verses that voiced the frustration of a generation feeling suppressed and ignored. Shah went on to release several hit songs criticising corruption and social inequality in Nepal.

Before taking the oath of office as the Prime Minister of Nepal, Shah released a song filled with optimism for Nepal’s future.

“Undivided Nepali, this time history is being made,” he rapped in a track that crossed two million views within hours of its release.

The song echoes his roots in the underground rap scene, where he once used music to call out corruption and other social ills in Nepal.

With challenges ahead amid the ongoing West Asia war, where a large diaspora of Nepalis work, facing, along with fear of employment crunch and a weak economy at home, as well as the RSP’s limited experience in governing, and high expectations from voters eager for change.