Rapper turned politician Balendra Shah has been sworn in as Nepal’s youngest prime minister after gaining a landslide victory in the country's first election since last year's Gen-Z-led protests.
The 35-year-old Rastriya Swatantra Party leader had his swearing-in ceremony at the President’s office at Sheetal Nivas on Friday. President Ramchandra Paudel administered the oath of office and secrecy.
Right before taking office, the ex-rapper dropped a song showcasing optimism about Nepal’s future with lyrics going "Undivided Nepali, this time history is being made."
The track garnered about 2 million views within hours of the release
After three years as the mayor of Kathmandu, Shah teamed up with the Rastriya Swatantra Party as its prime ministerial candidate, scoring a victory in the general elections.
Shah was raised by a stay-at-home mother and a father who is an ayurvedic practitioner. He is married and lives with his wife and daughter.
He rose to fame after winning a popular rap battle in Nepal with verses that reflected the frustration of the youth who felt abandoned. He had also criticised corruption and social inequality. His songs were also used by the Nepali youth who were part of the mass protest that ousted the previous government.
During the campaign, Shah opted to stay out of the public eye and instead ran his campaign on social media, pledging a sweeping anti-corruption agenda, judiciary reforms, and the creation of 1.2m new jobs, among other things.
The new Prime Minister also unveiled his council of ministers after taking the oath of office on Friday. Women leaders have been given five of the new portfolios in an attempt to make the cabinet more inclusive. Shah, meanwhile, had taken charge of both the defence and industry initiatives.
RSP vice-chair Swarnim Wagle has become the minister for Finance.
Shishir Khanal heads the RSP’s foreign affairs department, and Khadka Raj (Ganesh) Paudel has been appointed the minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.
Sasmit Pokharel has been appointed as the minister for Education, Science and Technology, and Youth and Sports.
Pratibha Rawal serves as the minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration, Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation
Biraj Bhakta Shrestha is the minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation.
Gita Chaudhary is the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, and Forest and Environment.
Sobita Gautam has become the minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.
Sita Badi has taken charge of the Ministry for Women, Children and Senior Citizens, while Sunil Lamsal is the Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport and Urban Development.
Nisha Mehata has become Minister for Health and Population, and Water Supply.