Nepal's new PM Balendra 'Balen' Shah a man of many firsts, takes oath

A rapper, a structural engineer, Gen Z icon and the youngest democratically elected prime minister of Nepal, Balen Shan, a man of many firsts, created history on Friday after taking the oath to serve at the top executive post of the Himalayan nation. The 35-year-old is also the first person from the Madhes region to become the 47th prime minister of the nation. Balen's unique style and ability to connect to the Gen Z of the country, which toppled the K P Sharma Oli-led coalition government in September last year in a violent protest, made him the lead runner in the election. He defeated four-time prime minister Oli, the chair of Nepal's legacy party, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified MarxistLeninist) -- CPN-UML -- by a huge margin of about 50,000 votes in Jhapa-5 constituency. Named among the 'Top 100 Emerging Leaders of 2023' by Time magazine, Balen rose to fame while working as the Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor. He is credited with implementing sweeping reform programmes

Go to News Site