A former rapper will be the next leader of Nepal

This article appeared as part of the Daily Sensemaker newsletter – one story a day to make sense of the world. To receive it in your inbox, featuring content exclusive to the newsletter, sign up for free here.

A former rapper who tapped into Gen Z disenchantment is expected to win Nepal’s election in a historic landslide. With counting almost finished, Rastriya Swatantra, the party of Balendra Shah or Balen, has won 122 of 165 directly elected seats. This puts Balen on course for the biggest majority in modern Nepalese history. Last week’s election was the first since a youth-led movement ousted the government in September. Dozens of people were killed as the police tried to keep a lid on the unrest. Balen, who is 35, rose to prominence with highly-charged rap songs in which he accused Nepal’s leaders of fraud. He became mayor of the capital, Kathmandu, in 2022. He has promised to create jobs and end corruption.