A young party led by a rapper wins a huge mandate – and Nepal steps into the unknown

BBC

Nepal’s historic election has delivered a seismic result.

The four-year-old Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, has achieved a feat many thought impossible under Nepal’s dual-election system: a sweeping majority.

The country’s political elite have been cast aside, and entrenched power structures shattered. Perhaps the biggest symbol of this was when Shah, or Balen as he is commonly known in Nepal, defeated former prime minister KP Sharma Oli in Jhapa 5, a seat long considered a stronghold for him.

As we’ve travelled the country, jubilant RSP voters have told us they are tired of decades of what they perceive to be corruption and political paralysis.

“Balen represents hope for a new political culture,” Jhapa-5 voter Ispa Sapkota told the BBC.

But the reality is that Nepal is now stepping into the political unknown.

A young party with no history of running a government will now lead the country, shouldered with the high expectations of a population eager to see quick results.

Balen, 35, has only three years of political experience as mayor of the capital, Kathmandu.

Yet, the fact that he is a relative newcomer to politics is seen as a strength by many voters.

They feel this signals a break from the failings of Nepal’s old guard who have dominated the political scene for decades. A graphic cartoon of Balen and the RSP President Rabi Lamichhane destroying a concrete wall illustrates their manifesto, with the words “We have arrived”.

It’s not altogether a clean sheet for Balen though.