Rapper-turned-politician Balendra “Balen” Shah was sworn in on March 27 as Nepal’s youngest democratically elected prime minister at 35, after his Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) won a landslide in the March 5 parliamentary elections. President Ram Chandra Paudel administered the oath as the RSP secured 182 of 275 seats in the House of Representatives, giving Shah a clear parliamentary majority to form government.
Shah’s rise follows the collapse of the KP Sharma Oli government six months earlier amid a youth-led Gen Z movement that protested corruption, nepotism and social media restrictions. A former mayor of Kathmandu, Shah is also the first prime minister from Nepal’s Madhes region and defeated four-time former prime minister KP Sharma Oli in the Jhapa-5 constituency-a result analysts say signals a major shift in Nepalese politics.
Having been considered for an interim administration, Shah chose instead to contest the full-term elections to secure democratic legitimacy. On taking office he immediately restructured his cabinet to simplify governance and improve coordination, merging several ministries while keeping the overall ministerial count within the constitutional cap of 25 under Article 76.
Shah retained the Defence and the Industry, Commerce and Supplies portfolios for himself. Fourteen other ministers took the oath at the President’s residence, Shital Niwas. Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle is ranked second in the government hierarchy, followed by Home Affairs Minister Sudan Gurung.
Key ministry mergers announced by the new government include Youth and Sports combined with Education, Science and Technology under Sasmita Pokharel; Drinking Water merged into Health and Population with Nisha Mehta; Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation folded into Federal Affairs and General Administration led by Pratibha Rawal; and Forest and Environment merged into Agriculture under Gita Chaudhary.
Regional leaders promptly congratulated Shah: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted India–Nepal strategic ties, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered his congratulations, and China extended its well-wishes and pledged to strengthen cooperation with Kathmandu.
The RSP’s decisive victory and Shah’s early cabinet reforms mark what supporters call a generational renewal in Nepalese politics. Unlike earlier young leaders such as Tulsi Giri-who was appointed in 1963-Shah’s ascent is rooted in a democratic mandate. His government has pledged to prioritize youth representation, socio-economic development, modernization of governance and stronger regional diplomacy, reflecting widespread public demand for transparency, accountability and reform. (PTI)
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/03/28/rapper-turned-politician-balen-shah-takes-over-as-nepals-youngest-pm/
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Publish Date: 2026-03-28 03:55:00
