Gen Z icon Balen Shah poised to lead Nepal after landslide win

Nepal's 35-year-old ex-rapper Balendra Shah, known as Balen, looks set to become prime minister after his Rastriya Swatantra Party secured a landslide in Nepal's first election after youth-led protests, winning a large majority of direct seats and signaling a generational shift. Shah, who previously served as Kathmandu mayor, faces high expectations to tackle corruption and governance while navigating Nepal's bureaucracy and delicate foreign policy balance with India and China.