Balendra Shah sworn in as Nepal’s new prime minister

Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician also known as Balen, was sworn in as Nepal’s 47th prime minister on March 27, 2026.

His Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) won a landslide victory with 182 seats in the 275-member parliament during elections on March 5, 2026—the first since deadly Gen Z-led anti-corruption protests killed 77 people and toppled the prior government last September. Shah, a former Kathmandu mayor and Nepal’s youngest PM in decades, is also the first leader from the Madhesi ethnic group in the southern plains.

President Ram Chandra Poudel administered the oath at Sheetal Niwas in Kathmandu around 12:34 pm local time, with Shah dressed in black attire, including his signature sunglasses and Nepali cap. Crowds cheered as he pledged loyalty to the constitution amid diplomats and officials.

Shah’s reformist platform emphasizes youth-driven change, anti-corruption, transparent governance, job creation, and economic stability in the Himalayan nation of 30 million squeezed between India and China. Analysts note quick public service improvements are expected soon, with Sunday as Nepal’s first working day under his leadership.