International, March 27: Balendra Shah was sworn in as Nepal’s prime minister on Friday, marking a major political shift nearly six months after the fall of the K P Sharma Oli-led government amid widespread youth protests.
The 35-year-old leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party took the oath of office at the President’s Office in Sheetal Niwas at 12.34 pm, becoming the youngest prime minister in the country’s history and the first from the Madhes region to hold the post.
President Ram Chandra Paudel appointed Shah as Nepal’s 47th prime minister under Article 76(1) of the constitution, following his party’s decisive victory in the general election.
His swearing-in comes after months of political instability triggered by Gen Z-led protests against corruption, nepotism and curbs on social media. The protests, which turned violent, led to the collapse of the previous coalition government in September last year.
The ceremony reflected Nepal’s cultural diversity, combining Hindu and Buddhist traditions with conch blowing by Brahmins, Vedic recitations and chants by Buddhist monks.
Shah is expected to lead a compact cabinet of around 15 to 18 ministers, indicating a possible emphasis on streamlined governance.
The transition was consolidated after the March 5 general election, where Shah defeated Oli in Jhapa-5, a stronghold of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist). His party secured 182 out of 275 seats in the House of Representatives, comfortably achieving a majority. The Nepali Congress won 38 seats, while the CPN-UML was reduced to 25, and the Nepali Communist Party secured 17 seats.
Following the ouster of the previous government, former chief justice Sushila Karki had been serving as interim prime minister on the recommendation of protest groups.
Earlier in the day, newly elected members of the House of Representatives, including Shah, were sworn in at the federal parliament, formally initiating the process of government formation weeks after the election results were declared.
