After releasing a new rap song about unity, Nepal’s youngest prime was sworn in.

The youngest prime minister of Nepal, Balendra Shah, was sworn in following his party’s resounding election victory in the wake of youth-led protests that overthrew the government in September.

President Ram Chandra Paudel named rapper-turned-politician Shah prime minister on Friday after his three-year-old Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) won 182 seats in the 275-member parliament in the March 5 election. This was the first election since Gen Z-led anti-corruption protests that resulted in 76 fatalities.The 35-year-old was sworn in at the President House in front of diplomats and high-ranking government officials while donning black pants, a matching jacket, his trademark black Nepali cloth cap, and sunglasses.

“Nepal is not scared this time, the heart is full of red blood … Laughter and happiness will reach every household this time,” Shah raps in the song titled Jay Mahakaali (Victory to Goddess Mahakali).

His music video, which features visuals of large crowds cheering him during his election campaign, has racked up nearly three million views.

“The strength of unity is my national power,” his lyrics continue.

Shah, a former mayor of Nepal’s main city of Kathmandu, is the country’s first Madhesi premier. The Madhesi are from the southern plains that border India. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that China congratulated Nepal on Shah’s inauguration and promised to help its neighbor in the Himalayas protect its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. 

In the 30 million-person nation, where a fifth of the population lives in poverty and an estimated 1,500 people leave the country every day in search of employment overseas, protests have erupted over a lack of jobs and widespread corruption. Shah publicly voiced support for the mostly Generation Z protestors who spearheaded the movement, despite not taking part in the demonstrations himself.

Nepal has seen political instability; since 1990, 32 administrations have taken power, but none of them have served five-year terms. With only 38 seats in parliament, the oldest party in the nation, the Nepali Congress party, dropped to a distant second place. There are 25 members of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) led by KP Sharma Oli, who was compelled to quit following the Gen Z uprising.

Prior to the legislative election, the country was led by former Chief Justice Sushila Karki. In a constituency that had been the former prime minister’s bastion for decades, Shah defeated Oli in the election. Of the 165 first-past-the-post seats in parliament, 125 were won by the RSP. Proportional representation is used to determine seats.

Implementing the recommendations of the Karki Commission, which was established by the interim Sushila Karki administration that assumed power following Oli’s removal last year, will be one of Shah’s first challenges. The commission was given the responsibility of looking into the murders and property destruction that occurred during last year’s Gen Z movement. On March 8, 2026, the panel delivered its report to the government. It is anticipated that the probe will be sent over to the incoming Shah government for execution by this interim administration.