Former Rapper's Fledgling Political Party Sweeps Nepal’s First Post-revolt Election

KATHMANDU, Nepal — A governmental statement created conscionable 4 years agone and led by an ex-rapper has swept Nepal’s parliamentary poll, results published by nan electoral committee connected Thursday showed.

The predetermination — nan country’s first since past year’s youth-led revolt — was won by nan Rastriya Swatantra Party, aliases RSP, of rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah.

The RSP won 125 straight elected seats positive a further 57 arsenic portion of nan proportional practice votes, giving it a full 182 seats successful nan 275-member House of Representative, nan powerful little enclosure of parliament. The Nepali Congress statement came second, pinch 38 seats.

In Nepal, voters straight elite 165 members to nan House of Representatives. The remaining 110 seats are allocated done a proportional practice system, nether which governmental parties are assigned seats based connected their stock of nan vote.

The committee will inquire nan governmental parties to supply nan names of members to capable nan seats won done nan proportional practice system. They would past study to nan president, who successful move will summon nan caller parliament, which will elite a caller premier curate — who would request nan support of half its members. The RSP clasp astir two-third of seats now.

The process is apt to return respective days earlier nan state gets a caller government.

Shah, who is nan RSP’s premier ministerial candidate, won nan 2022 Kathmandu mayoral race. He emerged arsenic a starring fig successful nan 2025 uprising that ousted erstwhile Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli.

The RSP, which was founded successful 2022, gained immense support successful nan parliamentary election, posing a beardown situation to 2 long-dominant parties — nan Nepali Congress and nan Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist)

Last year’s protests against corruption and mediocre governance were triggered by a societal media prohibition earlier snowballing into a celebrated revolt against nan government. Dozens of group were killed and hundreds much injured erstwhile protesters attacked authorities buildings and constabulary opened occurrence connected them.

Gurubacharya writes for nan Associated Press.