Nepali party led by ex-rapper set for landslide election victory

A Nepali 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 has ruled the Himalayan nation for decades.

The Rastriya Swatantra, or National Independent Party, formed only four years ago, had already won between 100 and 117 of 165 directly elected seats in partial results published Sunday morning by Nepal's Election Commission. The party led in additional constituencies, with other political parties and independent candidates winning 36 seats in total so far.

Balendra Shah, the 35-year-old former rap artist and onetime mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, leads the National Independent Party as its prime ministerial candidate. Shah defeated former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli of the Communist Party of Nepal–Unified Marxist-Leninist in his constituency in Jhapa, approximately 267 miles southeast of Kathmandu, and received his victory certificate on Sunday.

Officials were still counting votes Sunday, with final results expected later in the week. The election represents a significant shift in Nepal's political landscape following the Gen Z-led protests that removed the previous ruling establishment. Photos of people who died in last year's anti-corruption Gen Z protest were placed on the gate of the parliament building in Kathmandu.

The party's performance in the election is shaping up to be among the largest landslides in Nepal's modern electoral history. The Rastriya Swatantra Party, which includes Rabi Lamichhane as its president, emerged as the dominant force in the parliamentary contest.