Nepal's new parliament sworn in months after youth-led uprising
Under Nepal’s electoral system, 165 lawmakers are elected directly, while the remaining 110 seats are distributed proportionally based on parties’ vote share
Nepal's newly elected lawmakers were sworn in on Thursday, with nearly two-thirds of them belonging to a political party that is less than four years old.
The 275 members of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, will serve five-year terms. The election, the first since last year's youth-led uprising, was won by the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah.
Shah is expected to be elected as parliamentary party leader later on Thursday and formally inform President Ram Chandra Poudel, who will then appoint him as prime minister. Shah is scheduled to take oath on Friday.
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The RSP secured 125 directly elected seats and 57 more through proportional representation, taking its total to 182 in the 275-member House. The Nepali Congress finished second with 38 seats.
Under Nepal's electoral system, 165 lawmakers are elected directly, while the remaining 110 seats are distributed proportionally based on parties' vote share.
Shah, also the RSP's prime ministerial candidate, previously won the 2022 Kathmandu mayoral election and rose to prominence during the 2025 uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli.
Founded in 2022, the RSP gained massive public support, challenging the long-dominant Nepali Congress and Communist Party of Nepal (UML).
Last year's protests, sparked by a social media ban and grievances over corruption and governance, turned into a массов uprising. Dozens were killed and hundreds injured during clashes between protesters and security forces.
