A political party led by an ex-rapper is set for a landslide victory in the country’s first parliamentary election since Gen Z protests ousted the old leadership that ruled for decades.
The Rastriya Swatantra (RSP), or National Independent Party, formed only four years ago, won 103 of 165 directly elected seats and led in 21 other constituencies.
Other political parties and independent candidates had won 27 seats in total so far.
Officials said final results are expected later in the week.
The party’s prime ministerial candidate is rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, who won the 2022 Kathmandu mayoral race. He emerged as a leading figure in the 2025 uprising that ousted former prime minister Khadga Prasad Oli.
The relatively new RSP has unseated the two long-dominant parties: the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), which have taken turns ruling the country.
Local papers called the sweeping win a historic moment. “RSP set for a landslide victory,” said The Himalayan Times. “People’s ballot revolt; shift in political paradigm,” said Annapurna Post.
RSP supporters have been celebrating the win in several constituencies, offering the winners flower garlands, bouquets and scarfs and smearing them with red vermilion powder.
Party officials, however, have asked their candidates and supporters to refrain from victory rallies or any other public celebrations out of respect for the dozens of lives lost during last year’s youth-led protests.
RSP clearly has more than half the directly elected seats and the results of the second ballot also show the party has more than 50% of the votes in its favour. They require the support of half the total number of members in the lower chamber of Parliament to form a government.
Last year’s protests against corruption and poor governance were triggered by a social media ban before snowballing into a popular revolt against the government.
Dozens were killed and hundreds wounded when protesters attacked government buildings and police opened fire on them. — AP
