Former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah sworn in as Nepal PM

Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah ​was sworn in as Nepal’s prime minister on Friday, Kathmandu Post reported.

President Ramchandra Paudel administered the oath of office at an event at his office in Kathmandu.

प्रधानमन्त्री बालेनको शपथ || New Prime Minister of Nepal || Balen Shah pic.twitter.com/ypJeheLAms— RatoPati (@Rato_pati) March 27, 2026

This marks the first time a leader from the Madhesi community has become prime minister. Shah is also the youngest person to hold the post in decades, Reuters reported.

The former Kathmandu mayor became prime minister after his Rastriya Swatantra Party won 182 out of 275 seats in the March ​5 election, which was the first vote after widespread protests in September toppled the KP Oli government.

Following Shah’s swearing-in, Paudel also administered the oath of office to 14 other ministers, Kathmandu Post reported.

Shah, better known as Balen, was sworn in a day after he released his first public statement since winning the elections, via a rap song called Jay Mahakaali.

“The strength of unity is my national power,” he sang in the song.

The crisis that led to Oli’s ouster had begun following protests sparked by Nepal’s ban on 26 social media platforms on September 4.

Although the Oli government lifted the social media ban on September 8, the agitation snowballed into a broader protest against alleged corruption and misgovernance. A day later, Oli resigned from his post.

At least 72 persons were killed in the protests.

The demonstrations were described as...

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