Rapper-Turned 36-Year-Old Politician Who Led Gen Z Revolution Emerges as Nepal’s Next Prime Minister

First General Election in Nepal Since Gen Z-Led Protests
Ballen, Born in 1990, Defeats Former Prime Minister Oli by a Wide Margin
Leading Candidate for Prime Minister... "Gen Z Demands Good Governance"

Last year, anti-government protests led by Generation Z (those born after 1997) erupted in various parts of the world. In Nepal, one of the origins of these demonstrations, a rapper-turned-politician in his 30s is now considered a strong contender to become the next prime minister.

After the Generation Z anti-government protests, the first general election in Nepal saw a landslide victory for the centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), drawing attention to former Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah. Photo by Associated Press

According to Yonhap News on March 8 (local time), citing local media such as the Kathmandu Post, the centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) achieved a landslide victory in Nepal's first general election since the Gen Z anti-government protests, drawing attention to RSP's prime ministerial candidate, former Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah (36, also known as Ballen).

Former Mayor Ballen secured over 68,300 votes, defeating former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who received about 18,700 votes, by a wide margin. Upon confirmation of his victory the previous evening, Ballen, wearing his trademark black sunglasses, drove through his constituency, waving to cheering residents.

Born in 1990, former Mayor Ballen has an unusual background for a political leader. He showed talent for poetry from an early age and, influenced by American rappers like Tupac and 50 Cent as he grew up, became immersed in rap. Although he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering in Nepal and India, he rose to fame as a rap star in Nepal's underground hip-hop scene by releasing music critical of corruption and inequality among the elite.

One of his signature songs, "Balidan (Sacrifice)," has garnered over 12.8 million views on YouTube, the highest for a Nepali artist. The lyric "I'm not afraid to speak the truth" from this song has even been used as a slogan for his political campaign.

In 2022, he ran for mayor of Kathmandu and, propelled by youth support, achieved a surprise victory. As mayor, he gained national popularity by tackling chronic urban issues such as Kathmandu's waste management system, traffic management, and guaranteeing medical services, focusing on improving city infrastructure and quality of life. Then, in September last year, amid massive protests by Generation Z youth against corruption in the left-wing coalition government led by former Prime Minister Oli, Ballen emerged as a protest leader through his active social media engagement.

In January, Ballen resigned from his mayoral position to run in the general election. Rather than running in Kathmandu, he chose to contest in Jhapa-5, a constituency where former Prime Minister Oli had been elected four times. He explained this decision as "choosing not the easy path, but the path to compete with a key figure."

Former Mayor Ballen emerged as a protest leader through active social media activities during the massive anti-government demonstrations led by Generation Z. Photo by AP News

With the RSP's landslide victory in this election, Ballen is now seen as the leading candidate for the next prime minister. He stated that the ideology he shares with the RSP is "a liberal economic system with social justice, such as free education and healthcare for the poor." He added, "The top demand of Generation Z is good governance, because the level of corruption in this country is high," and declared, "Even if I am elected prime minister, I will continue my music activities."

Nepalese political commentator Puranjan Acharya told Reuters, "What makes Ballen special is his consistent communication with young people through short messages on social media," adding, "If he becomes prime minister, it will be important for him to surround himself with competent people to reform corruption."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.