Who will be next Nepal PM? Rapper-turned politician Balen Shah, Gen Z’s favourite, is likely to win

Nepal voted for its next prime minister on March 5, 2026, and the final result is yet to come. However, the rapper-turned politician Balen Shah, who emerged as a favourite leader of Gen Z during last year's protest, is likely to win the race. The sweeping leads by the former Kathmandu mayor's party, which was founded in 2022, showed the youth's frustration with the current status of the government in the country. If the RSP’s strong performance continues, the results could mark a major victory for Nepal’s youth-driven political movement.

Here are the major keypoints to pick from the 2026 national election of Nepal.

Balen Shah - the man of the moment

The rapper-turned politician Balendra ‘Balen’ Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) won 29 seats and was reported leading in 88 constituencies as of Saturday (March 7). He is also maintaining a lead over CPN-UML Chairman and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in his home constituency of Jhapa-5.

Turning point for the country's politics

Experts said the election is heading towards a landslide victory for the Shah's party. This could be a breakthrough for Nepal's traditional politics. The political analyst Chandra Dev Bhatta, while talking to AFP, said, “This is heading to a landslide victory - this reflects the frustration that has been building up," adding: “It is actually the people’s revolt against the established political parties."

“This is even a bigger upset than we expected, it underscores the level of public disenchantment with the old parties for under-performance, as well as anger over the events of September,” Kunda Dixit, publisher of Nepali Times, told AFP news agency.

First election since Gen Z protest - what could be changed?

The March 2026 election marks the first national election in the country since the Gen Z protest of 2025. Hence, there are expectations that the result might shift the dynamic of Nepal's politics, with the youth choosing a fresh face for the PM.

“This election will decide whether my 4-year-old son will live in Nepal or migrate to another country,” Biki Shrestha told The New York Times, a finance manager at an IT company. “We need change.”

“For many years, we have seen the same political parties, and they have not changed anything in Nepal,” Sujan Sipai, a teacher from Bhaktapur, told NYT. “That’s why this time the entire country has stood up against corruption and for Balen.”

Young candidates

The RSP has fielded nine Gen Z candidates, many of whom previously served as aides to Shah. This marks a sharp contrast to Nepal’s traditional political parties, which have significantly fewer Gen Z candidates despite possessing stronger political machinery.

Until recently, these parties were led by prime ministers in their seventies. Earlier this year, the Nepali Congress almost faced a split when 49-year-old Gagan Kumar Thapa challenged and removed the party president, who was three decades older.

Large movement of voters before the polls

Ahead of the election, around 800,000 people left the Kathmandu Valley to return to their hometowns to cast their votes. Under Nepal’s election law, citizens must vote in the constituencies where they are officially registered, according to a BBC report.