Rastriya Swatantra Party leader and prime minister-designate
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Prime minister-designate; RSP confirmed 125 direct seats and 182 total seats, falling just short of supermajority
Two parties had traded control of Nepal's government for more than 30 years. On March 9-10, 2026, final vote counting confirmed the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP)—founded less than four years ago and led by 35-year-old former rapper Balendra 'Balen' Shah—won 125 of 165 directly elected parliamentary seats, with proportional representation results projecting 183-185 total seats and a two-thirds supermajority. Shah set a historic record by securing 68,348 votes in Jhapa-5, the highest vote total ever recorded in Nepal's parliamentary election history.
Updated 4 days ago
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