Nepal election result: A new Nepali party RSP led by an ex-rapper is set for a landslide win in parliamentary poll
The Rastriya Swatantra, or National Independent Party, founded just four years ago, has already won 117 of the 165 directly elected seats and maintained its lead in eight other constituencies in results published by the Election Commission of Nepal on Sunday morning.
Other political parties and independent candidates have won a total of 36 seats so far. Officials were still counting votes Sunday, and final results were expected later in the week.
The party’s prime ministerial candidate is rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, who won the 2022 Kathmandu mayoral race. He emerged as a leading figure in the 2025 uprising that toppled former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli.
In Nepal, voters directly elect 165 members of the House of Representatives, the lower house of Parliament. The remaining 110 seats in the 275-member parliament are allocated through the proportional representation system, in which political parties are allocated seats based on their vote share. On Sunday, RSP also led this ranking, taking nearly 51% of the 110 seats.
The relatively new RSP unseated two long-dominant parties: the Nepali Congress and the Nepal Communist Party (United Marxist-Leninist), which took turns ruling the country.
Local newspapers described the big win as a historic moment. “RSP is poised for a landslide victory,” said the popular Himalayan Times newspaper. “People’s vote revolt; shift in political paradigm,” said Annapurna Post. RSP supporters celebrate victory in many constituencies, presenting the winners with flower wreaths, bouquets, scarves and smearing them with red vermilion powder.
“The future prime minister (Shah) has clearly said that there will be no compromise when it comes to developing the country,” said RSP party member and volunteer Khagendra Chapagain, who was at the party headquarters in Kathmandu. he said. “Our first agenda is to develop the country, and our focus will be on health, education and working to fight corruption.”
But party officials have asked their candidates and supporters to avoid victory rallies or other public celebrations out of respect for the dozens of lives lost in youth-led protests last year.
In Nepal, voters receive two ballot papers; One chooses the candidate of their choice, usually the political party candidate, and the other chooses the party of their choice.
The RSP clearly holds more than half of the directly elected seats, and the results of the second ballot also show the party receiving more than 50% of the vote. In order to form a government, the support of half of the total number of members in the lower house of parliament is required.
Analysts say the party will have enough members in parliament to form a single-party government but faces difficulties in running the government.
“The problem or challenge for this new party will be to deliver, given limited resources and limited institutional support. Just because people have high expectations, that does not mean the new party will necessarily be able to deliver,” said independent analyst Keshab Prasad Poudel.
Last year, protests against corruption and mismanagement were triggered by a social media ban, then snowballed into a popular revolt against the government. Dozens of people died and hundreds were injured when protesters attacked government buildings and police opened fire on them.
