In Nepal, 35-year-old reformist Balendra Shah was sworn in as prime minister on Friday, assuming the country's most powerful office. He swept last month's general elections on pledges to create jobs and restore political stability. A day before the ceremony, Shah released a rap song on social media, garnering millions of views and highlighting his appeal to the youth-driven movement that propelled him to power.

Shah is now the youngest prime minister of Nepal in decades and the first from the Madhesi community, an indigenous group with strong cultural and linguistic ties to neighboring India. The oath was administered at 12:34 p.m. local time – the 1-2-3-4 numerical sequence is considered auspicious by Hindu priests. The ceremony followed Vedic-Sanatan traditions, featuring conch blowing from seven shells and recitations by 108 Hindu and Buddhist monks.

Previously a structural engineer and rap artist, Shah gained fame before serving as mayor of Kathmandu, the capital. He emerged as a prominent voice during violent youth-led protests in September, which ousted the old political guard. Young people in the nation of 30 million were frustrated by corruption, chronic instability, and lack of economic growth.

Shah's Rastriya Swatantrata Party (RSP) won 182 seats in the 275-member parliament, securing his premiership. Political analyst Puranjan Acharya stated that the first test for the new government lies in transparent and prompt service delivery, with citizens expecting early signs of good governance from Sunday, a working day in Nepal.

Source: www.dw.com