With 46% of Nepal’s population under the age of 24, the election will be a test of whether their hopes and frustrations are being taken seriously
In the unassuming, dusty lanes of the Nepali city of Damak, an unprecedented political showdown is unfolding. Pitting an old political heavyweight against a rapper-turned-politician with a penchant for dark sunglasses and sharp suits, the battle is one that could completely reshape the country’s politics.
As Nepal heads into its most gripping election in years, at the forefront stands Balendra Shah, the 35-year-old known simply as Balen. He rose to fame as a popular rapper whose songs criticised the ruling elite, before pivoting to politics and winning a resounding victory to become the mayor of Kathmandu in May 2022.
Yet it was after Nepal witnessed the bloodiest day of protest in recent history – when a gen-Z uprising last September against corruption and a social media ban was responded to with police brutality and live fire across the country – that Balen emerged as a nationally popular and unifying figure, particularly among a Nepali youth widely enraged at a political system they feel is broken and unrepresentative.
The protests and ensuing violence left more than 70 dead and quickly brought down the communist government of the veteran prime minister KP Oli Sharma, which had long been dogged by allegations of corruption, nepotism and elitism. Balen was the favoured choice by gen-Z leaders to step in as interim leader but he declined, opting to wait and fight it out at the ballot box.
