Nepal's youngest prime minister was sworn in on Friday after his party achieved a sweeping victory in elections held earlier this month, following a youth-driven uprising that overthrew the government in September.
On Friday, President Ram Chandra Paudel appointed Balendra Shah as prime minister following the Rastriya Swatantra Party's victory, securing almost two-thirds of the seats in the House of Representatives, the lower house of parliament, during the March 5 elections.
Shah, a 35-year-old political newcomer popularly referred to as Balen, is set to head a government responsible for addressing the significant public dissatisfaction with Nepal's traditional parties, which voters largely accused of corruption and persistent political instability.
The detailed inauguration event was set to feature Hindu customs, including the 'shankhnaad' or conch blowing, along with religious chants by Hindu priests and Buddhist lamas.
Shah's oath-taking ceremony was scheduled for 12:34 p.m. on the day the Himalayan nation celebrates Ram Navami, a time deemed auspicious by Hindu priests due to astrological calculations. This timing also aligns with the numerological sequence '1-2-3-4.' Later, Shah is set to assume his new office at 14:15 p.m., which follows a '14-15' pattern. Hindu priests regard these numerical sequences as favorable.
In Nepal, where over 80% of the population practices Hinduism, religion and astrology significantly influence daily life. People often start new ventures, get married, and conduct religious ceremonies based on favorable timings.
Shah was born in Kathmandu, the capital, although his family hails from the Hindu-majority Terai region of Nepal, close to the Indian border.
A structural engineer who gained prominence as a rap artist prior to his tenure as Kathmandu's mayor, he now heads the Rastriya Swatantra Party, which secured approximately two-thirds of the 275 seats in the influential lower House of Representatives of the bicameral Parliament.
Shah became a leading figure during the violent youth-driven revolt in September that overthrew the government in the country of 30 million, a period of turmoil that resulted in numerous fatalities.
While Shah did not take part in the protests himself, he openly showed his support for the predominantly Generation Z activists who spearheaded the movement.