Balendra Shah 'Balen' today became the ‘youngest’ Prime Minister of Nepal. President Ramchandra Paudel appointed Balen, the parliamentary party leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), as the prime minister in accordance with Article 76 (1) of the Constitution, states a notice issued by the President's Office.
The 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician has also become the first prime minister from the Madhes region. Balen, the former Kathmandu mayor, defeated four-time prime minister K P Sharma Oli in the Jhapa-5 constituency, a long-standing stronghold of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), by a huge margin.
A unique blend of Hindu and Buddhist religious traditions will feature during Balens' swearing-in ceremony. The ceremony will comprise elaborate religious rituals, including Shankhanad (conch blowing) by seven brahmins, recitation of Vedic hymns or Swasti Bachan by 108 Hindu Batuks or young brahmins, and Mangal Bachan or recitation of Buddhist scripture by 107 Lamas, according to sources close to Balen.
He is likely to form a small cabinet with the number of ministers ranging between 15 and 18, the sources added.
Nepal chose former Kathmandu mayor and fresher Balendra Shah 'Balen' – popular only as Balen – and his RSP to form the next government, decimating the traditional parties in the first general elections since last year's violent Gen Z protests that sought generational change and a corruption-free regime.
The RSP that had projected Balen as the prime ministerial candidate secured a massive 182 seats out of a total 275 seats in the House of Representatives (HoR), making it eligible to form a majority government under Article 76 (1) of the Constitution.
Of the 275 members of the HoR, 165 are elected through direct voting and 110 through proportionate voting.
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