Nepal’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has won a sweeping victory in the country’s first election since last year’s youth-led protests toppled the government. The RSP secured 182 seats in the final tally, falling two seats short of a two-thirds supermajority in the lower house. Even without that threshold, the result marks the strongest showing by a single party in Nepal in decades.
The Nepali Congress finished second with 38 seats, while the Communist Party of Nepal UML (CPN-UML) placed third with 25. Officials put voter turnout at about 60% of nearly 19 million eligible voters, signalling broad engagement in a vote framed as a referendum on the political status quo.
Balendra Shah Poised to Lead as Coalition Talks Begin
The outcome positions Balendra Shah to become Nepal’s next leader, pending the formation of a government. Political negotiations are expected to take at least one week as parties work through coalition options and leadership arrangements. The RSP’s margin gives it the clearest mandate, but the lack of a supermajority still leaves room for bargaining.
Shah is a rapper-turned-politician whose national profile rose during his tenure as mayor of Kathmandu. He only recently joined the RSP, and both he and the party are seen as relatively untested at the national level. Yet voters delivered a decisive endorsement, suggesting a willingness to trade experience for disruption and reform.
The result also defied expectations built into Nepal’s mixed electoral system, which blends first past the post seats with proportional representation. That structure is typically designed to prevent domination by any single party. This time, however, fragmentation among established rivals appears to have amplified the RSP surge.
Vote Reflects Demand for Change After Deadly Protests
The election followed months of political volatility after last year’s protests escalated far beyond their initial trigger. Demonstrations began in opposition to a social media ban, then widened into a broader challenge to inequality, unemployment, and entrenched privilege. Protesters criticised political dynasties and what they called “nepo babies,” tying governance to class symbolism and stalled opportunity.
Authorities reported that 77 people were killed during the unrest. The violence and the claims of excessive force left lasting anger, especially among younger voters. That backdrop shaped campaign messaging across the spectrum, with parties competing for a youth bloc demanding jobs, fair access, and credible anti-corruption measures.
In that context, the RSP’s scale of victory reads as a protest vote transformed into an electoral wave. The party’s rise since its founding in 2022 has been rapid. It finished fourth in the previous election, then built momentum by presenting itself as a break from the old order.
Old Parties Stumble as Former Leaders Lose Ground
The election also delivered high-profile defeats for established figures. Former prime minister KP Sharma Oli was beaten by Shah in Jhapa 5, a constituency seen as an Oli stronghold. Oli had returned to the campaign as a prime ministerial candidate and had projected confidence about another mandate. Instead, his party slipped to third place nationally.
Another notable loss came for Gagan Thapa, a leading figure in the Nepali Congress. Thapa lost his seat to an RSP candidate, underscoring the breadth of the shift away from legacy brands. For the Nepali Congress, finishing second with 38 seats keeps it relevant in coalition arithmetic, but the gap to the RSP highlights a major challenge in reconnecting with voters.
Attention now turns to government formation and the RSP’s ability to convert electoral momentum into workable governance. The party campaigned on tackling unemployment, economic stagnation, and inequality. The next test will be whether it can translate those promises into policy, while managing the realities of coalition talks and a restless electorate that expects rapid change.