Nepali rapper-turned Kathmandu mayor Gen Z’s favourite

Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, an unusually youthful elected official in Nepali politics dominated by seasoned legislators, has emerged as a favourite among young people to represent them in an interim government.

- REUTERS

The capital's 35-year-old mayor, a former rapper who often appears on Instagram and in public wearing a dark blazer and sunglasses, is in the spotlight after deadly protests prompted the resignation of Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, 73.

“You should be our new prime minister,” said Rewant Adhikari on X, one of many who have urged Shah to contest as prime minister and eventually replace Oli. “Long live Nepal!”

This week’s anti-graft protests that killed 19 people were organised by the group “Gen Z Nepal”, which draws support from more than half the country’s 30 million people who are younger than 30, but often led by prime ministers twice their age.