Nepali Rapper Balendra Shah takes oath as Prime Minister

Nepal’s rapper-turned-politician, Balendra Shah, was on Friday sworn in as the country’s prime minister after a strong victory in the first election held since last year’s deadly anti-corruption protests that forced the government out of power.

The 35-year-old reform-minded leader, alongside his Rastriya Swatantra Party, dominated the polls conducted earlier this month, riding on a campaign focused on youth-driven political change and a fresh direction for the country.

“I, Balendra Shah, in the name of the country and people, pledge that I will be loyal to the constitution,” Shah said, dressed all in black, including his trademark dark sunglasses.

Crowds at the ceremony cheered and chanted his name after he formally took office.

At least 77 people were killed in the anti-corruption youth uprising, which began over a brief social media ban but tapped into longstanding fury over economic hardship in the nation of 30 million people.

Shah, better known as Balen, was sworn in a day after he released his first public statement since winning the March 5 elections, via a rap song posted on social media.

“The strength of unity is my national power,” Shah sang in the song, which has racked up nearly three million views since being released on social media and streaming sites on Thursday evening.

Shah had remained silent publicly since his RSP party won the election in a landslide, winning a commanding majority of 182 in the 275-seat House of Representatives.

He campaigned alongside the RSP president, combative television host Rabi Lamichhane, 51, a former deputy prime minister and interior minister, and now a fellow lawmaker who retains a pivotal role in power.

“My heart is full of courage, my red blood is boiling; my brothers stand with me, this time we will rise,” Shah added in his song, over a video of him campaigning for election.

“May my breath not run out; I will run like a leopard,” he added.

Shortly after his rap song was released, the outgoing interim prime minister bid farewell to the nation in a televised broadcast.

Sushila Karki, 73, a former chief justice who had led the caretaker administration for six months, said the country’s future lay in the hands of a younger generation.

“I am confident that the new government to be formed under the leadership of the youth will work towards ending corruption in the country, establishing good governance, creating jobs within the country, economic development and social justice,” she said.

“I am looking forward to the bright future of this country with full confidence — where our unity, honesty and the hard work of every citizen will write a new history,” she added.

Karki, who had ordered an investigation into the crackdown on protesters, said in her statement Thursday that a report with the findings would be released. She did not give further details.

According to a leaked copy of the report seen by AFP, the commission investigating the events recommended the prosecution of ex-prime minister KP Sharma Oli, who was toppled in the uprising.

Four-time prime minister and Marxist leader Oli, 74, was defeated by Shah in Oli’s own constituency.

At least 19 young people were killed in a crackdown on the first day of protests. No one has been convicted of the killings.

Former interior minister Ramesh Lekhak and ex-police chief Chandra Kuber Khapung should also be investigated and prosecuted, according to the recommendations in the report.

Lekhak bore “overall responsibility for home administration, security agencies, and maintaining law and order”, the report said, adding that he and Oli “did not appear to have made any effort on the afternoon… to prevent further human casualties”.

The report said it was “not established that there was an order to shoot”, but “no effort was made to stop or control the firing, and due to their negligent conduct, even minors lost their lives”.

The report said that in 48 of the 63 completed autopsies victims died from bullet wounds, with the majority struck in the chest or head.

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