KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Initial vote tallies from Saturday reveal that a political movement headed by a former rapper is dominating Nepal’s parliamentary elections, marking the nation’s first vote since a youth-driven uprising last year.
The National Independent Party, known locally as Rastriya Swatantra, has secured 27 out of 165 direct election seats while maintaining the lead in 90 additional districts, according to data from Nepal’s Election Commission.
The party’s candidate for prime minister is Balendra Shah, a politician who previously worked as a rapper before capturing Kathmandu’s mayoral position in 2022 and becoming a prominent voice in the 2025 movement that removed former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli from power.
Shah, age 35, centered his campaign messaging around improving healthcare and educational opportunities for Nepal’s impoverished population, capitalizing on widespread public dissatisfaction with established political organizations.
In a direct matchup against Oli in a southeastern region, Shah currently holds a commanding advantage over the ex-prime minister while vote tabulation proceeds.
The remaining six decided races were captured by the Nepal Congress party alongside two communist political organizations.
Citizens are choosing 165 representatives for direct election to the House of Representatives, Parliament’s lower house. An additional 110 positions in the 275-seat legislature will be distributed using proportional representation, where parties receive seats corresponding to their vote percentages.
Vote tallying continued across most districts Saturday, with complete results anticipated over the coming two days. Election officials are using helicopters to retrieve ballot containers from isolated mountain communities in the country’s northern regions.
Political observers view this election as a three-party competition, driven by citizen anger over extensive corruption and calls for increased governmental transparency.
Though the National Independent Party only formed in 2022, it has attracted massive voter support in this election, establishing itself as the leading contender while mounting a serious challenge to two historically powerful parties: the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist).
The 2025 demonstrations opposing corruption and inadequate leadership began with restrictions on social media usage before expanding into widespread government opposition. The violent clashes resulted in dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries as demonstrators targeted government facilities and law enforcement responded with gunfire.
