Balendra Shah to Become Nepal's Prime Minister

Kathmandu, Nepal – Balendra Shah, the 35-year-old leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, was unanimously selected as the party's parliamentary leader on Thursday, positioning him to become Nepal's next prime minister following his party's decisive victory in the March 5 parliamentary elections.

The Rastriya Swatantra Party, or RSP, secured 182 of the 275 seats in the House of Representatives, giving it a near two-thirds majority and marking the first time in years that a single party has achieved such dominance. This outcome allows the RSP to form Nepal's first majority government under the current federal system. President Ram Chandra Poudel is scheduled to appoint Shah as prime minister and administer his oath of office on Friday at 12:34 p.m., an auspicious time aligned with the Hindu festival of Ram Navami.

The selection came during a central committee meeting at the party's Banasthali headquarters, shortly after newly elected lawmakers took their oaths at the parliament building in Singha Durbar. Party chair Rabi Lamichhane proposed Shah's name, which received full endorsement before ratification by the parliamentary party. Shah, elected from Jhapa Constituency No. 5, had...