Balen Shah's RSP wins landslide in Nepal election
Mar 13th 2026
A four-year-old party led by rapper-turned-mayor Balen Shah won a landslide and toppled established leaders, leaving Nepal with a largely inexperienced government facing urgent economic, institutional and foreign policy challenges.
- The four-year-old Rastriya Swatantra Party, led by rapper-turned-politician Balendra "Balen" Shah, won a sweeping parliamentary majority.
- Balen Shah defeated former prime minister KP Sharma Oli in Jhapa 5, a longtime stronghold.
- Shah is 35 and has three years of governing experience as Kathmandu mayor.
- The RSP campaigned on anti-corruption, promising asset probes, nationalization of illegally acquired property and judiciary reforms including an end to political judge appointments.
- The party pledged about 7 percent annual economic growth to reach a 100 billion dollar economy within five to seven years.
- World Bank projections and structural constraints make that growth target ambitious, with youth unemployment near 20 percent and remittances accounting for over a quarter of GDP.
- Human rights groups have criticised Shah for heavy-handed tactics against street vendors and warned of rule of law risks.
- Analysts say the main challenges for the new government are inexperience, potential internal fractures, reforming a politicised bureaucracy and balancing relations with India and China without security pacts.