The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by former rapper Balendra Shah, has won a landslide victory in Nepal's parliamentary election, the country's first since last year's youth-led revolt. According to results published by the electoral commission on Thursday, the RSP secured 182 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives.
Key Takeaways
The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by former rapper Balendra Shah, won Nepal's parliamentary election with 182 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives. The victory follows last year's youth-led protests against corruption and poor governance.
- RSP secures majority with 182 seats
- Nepali Congress comes second with 38 seats
- Communist Party gets third place with 25 seats
- Voter turnout around 60% of nearly 19 million eligible voters
- Shah's victory marks a shift from long-dominant parties
The RSP won 125 directly elected seats and an additional 57 through proportional representation votes. The Nepali Congress party came second with 38 seats, while the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) secured third place with 25 seats. Voter turnout was around 60% of the nearly 19 million eligible voters.
The election process is likely to take several days before a new government is formed. The commission will ask political parties to provide the names of members to fill the proportional representation seats, after which they will report to the president. The president will then summon the new parliament, which will elect a new prime minister requiring the support of half its members.
Shah, who is the RSP's prime ministerial candidate, won the 2022 Kathmandu mayoral race and emerged as a leading figure in last year's uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli. The RSP, founded in 2022, gained significant support in this election, challenging two long-dominant parties.
Last year's protests against corruption and poor governance were initially triggered by a social media ban but escalated into a popular revolt. According to Reuters, the demonstrations killed 77 people and toppled the government.
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