Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah’s party has widened its lead in early vote counting in Nepal’s general election, far outpacing other rivals, including the former prime minister who was forced to resign following last year’s historic youth-led uprisings.
Shah, 35, a former mayor of the capital Kathmandu, dominated the race to become Nepal’s prime minister during the election period and gained popularity across the country.
Early tallies from the Election Commission on Friday morning showed Shah’s centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party, founded three years ago, leading with 37 seats, while former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist-UML) led with three seats.
The centrist Nepali Congress, led by 49-year-old Gagan Thapa, is the country’s oldest political party and became the largest party with five seats.
Results are likely to be known by Friday evening or Saturday, officials said.
Of the total 275 seats in Nepal’s House of Representatives, counting of votes is underway for 165 directly elected seats, while the remaining 110 seats will be subject to proportional representation.
Mr. Shah drew large audiences during his election campaign, and even as he ran against Mr. Oli, 74, in his stronghold of Jhapa 5 constituency along the Indian border, he connected with a group of young voters demanding change on the ground and online.
The country of 30 million people, located between China and India, has been plagued by political instability for decades, paralyzing its largely agricultural economy and exacerbating unemployment rates, compounded by structural problems and rampant corruption.
Years of malaise led to a ban on social media that sparked street protests in September last year, drawing thousands to the streets, causing clashes and deaths, and forcing Oli to resign.
