Nepal's Rastriya Swatantra Party Leads Early Election Results

Nepal's Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by former rapper Balendra Shah, is leading early results in the country's first election since youth-led protests forced the previous government out of power. The RSP has harnessed support from young voters and implemented a sophisticated campaign strategy.

The final results for 165 seats in direct, first-past-the-post tallies and 110 seats through proportional representation are expected by next week, according to the election commission. If current trends hold, Shah will have successfully harnessed a wave of support unleashed by the September uprising with one of the most sophisticated campaigns ever seen in Nepal.

Shah's campaign was coordinated out of the top three floors of the party's headquarters in Kathmandu and heavily bankrolled by the Nepali diaspora. The RSP also held road shows in five to seven districts each day, backed by daily brief appearances in one of Nepal's seven provinces where Shah would meet and connect with voters.

Shah himself is contesting the election from Jhapa-5, a constituency in the plains that has long been part of the home turf of K.P. Sharma Oli, who quit as prime minister in the wake of the September protests. In this rural pocket of Nepal, Shah has stuck with his unorthodox campaign playbook, shunning sit-down media interviews and making impromptu stops to talk with voters.

The RSP's centralised campaign system and large events were funded directly by the party, which has received large donations from Nepalis living abroad. Individual candidates are responsible for organising and financing their own campaign events.