The new Nepali prime minister, Balendra Shah (right), shakes hands with President Ram Chandra Paudel during a swearing-in ceremony in Kathmandu on March 27, 2026. PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP
Balendra Shah, 35, took the helm of Nepal on March 27, six months after a Gen Z uprising and the spectacular fall of the Oli government. The former rapper, highly popular with young people, was appointed prime minister of the former Himalayan kingdom, home to 30 million people, without ever having set foot in Parliament before. His only political experience is serving as mayor of Kathmandu from 2022 to 2026. He is the youngest prime minister in Nepal's history.
An engineer by training, Shah entered politics in the name of fighting corruption. He triumphed in the legislative elections held on March 5, falling just two seats short of an absolute majority in Parliament and sweeping aside the traditional political powers.
Dressed all in black, as is his custom, and wearing his trademark rectangular sunglasses, he made his mark from his swearing-in ceremony, held at the presidential palace in the presence of former Supreme Court president Sushila Karki, who served as interim president for six months. The ceremony was conducted according to religious and astrological rituals, drawing criticism from proponents of secularism. Hinduism and Buddhism are the two major religions in Nepal, but the country also has Muslim and Christian minorities. The timing of the ceremony, 12:34 pm, was deemed auspicious by astrologers. The oath was taken to the sounds of conch shells, chants and recitations by Hindu and Buddhist priests.
