A progressive centrist party led by rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah is headed for a landslide win in Nepal’s first nationwide election after a Gen Z-led anti-government protest toppled the previous administration in the Himalayan nation.
Voting began in Nepal on Thursday for a new government to replace former prime minister Khadga Prasad Oli’s administration, which had been tainted by allegations of corruption, nepotism and political impunity.
By Friday, as voting neared completion, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) – a centrist party founded three years ago – was leading in more than 100 seats of the 165 decided through the first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting system. Of the 275 seats up for grabs, 165 will be filled through direct elections, while the remaining seats will be allocated through proportional representation.
The RSP is led by 35-year-old Shah, the former mayor of Kathmandu, who has emerged as the Gen Z favourite in the race to become prime minister after gaining rock star-like popularity on social media during the protests in the country.
Mr Shah is riding a wave of public anger towards traditional political parties and has highlighted healthcare and education for poorer Nepalis as key pillars of his campaign.
Early trends showed former prime minister Oli’s Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) leading in nine seats, while the Nepali Congress, the country’s oldest party, was ahead in 12.
The former rapper was also leading Mr Oli in the latter’s home constituency of Jhapa 5 near the Indian border.
Ram Prasad Bhandari, the chief election commissioner, has pledged to complete the vote count by 9 March.
The Election Commission said it will announce the results for the 165 directly elected seats within 24 hours of the counting. The tallying of votes cast under the proportional representation system is expected to take a further two to three days, officials said.
The RSP has fielded nine Gen Z candidates, including 29-year-old Sasmit Pokharel, a former aide to Mr Shah who stepped down as mayor in January to contest the parliamentary election. Educated partly in the United States, Mr Pokharel has a background in urban planning and education policy.
“The old leaders have proven themselves incompetent and arrogant,” he said. “We need fresh voices.”
The election commission said nearly 60 per cent of the country’s almost 19 million registered voters took part in Thursday’s vote, including nearly one million first-time voters.
Political instability has plagued the nation of 30 million people, landlocked between nuclear powers India and China, for decades, crippling its largely agrarian economy in the Hindu-majority country.
Nepal has also faced rising unemployment and widespread corruption, fuelling public dissatisfaction.
The long-simmering discontent erupted into street protests last September, sparked by a social media ban that drew thousands onto the streets and led to violent clashes and deaths, ultimately forcing Mr Oli to resign.
Authorities said nearly 80 people were killed during the unrest, many of them shot by police after the government ordered a crackdown. Protesters also set fire to several buildings, including parts of parliament, the Supreme Court and the central government secretariat.
The 74-year-old prime minister and his government were forced to resign last September amid mounting public anger over entrenched corruption and social inequality in the Himalayan republic.
Mr Shah studied civil engineering and is the son of a practitioner of traditional medicine. The rapper gained a following with his politically charged songs, using lyrics such as “fools” and “looting thieves” for the country’s politicians.
He who has positioned himself as the face of youth-led political change has pledged to expand access to healthcare and education for poorer communities while improving the business environment for entrepreneurs in the country.
The nation, which is dependent on remittances and tourism, particularly from expeditions to Mount Everest and other famed Himalayan peaks, has a per capita gross domestic product of around $1,500.
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