Hey Gen-Z, it’s our world now.
It was the showdown of the century; the new versus the old in direct competition to lead a revolutionised Nepal.
Balendra Shah – or as he is better known, Balen – rose to popularity in the early 2010’s underground rap scene in Nepal. He took aim at poverty, corruption and inequality, winning over a disenfranchised youth movement.
He sharply pivoted to politics in 2022, becoming the independent mayor of Kathmandu. When social media was banned in Nepal in 2025, the protests that erupted soon after made Balen a Gen-Z hero.
Amidst burning government buildings and the needless deaths of protestors, it became clear that the youth of Nepal were serious about dismantling the corrupt status quo.
The unrest caused four-time prime minister KP Sharma Oli and his stayed Communist party to resign. Many asked Balen to take on the role of interim leader, but he refused, and instead waited until this most recent election to win the votes fairly.
It was an overwhelming victory for Balen, whose direct competition was 74-year-old Oli gunning for a fifth go.
The numbers tell the real story of Nepal’s hunger for change; 68,348 votes to Balen, 18,724 for Oli.
Balen collected his certificate of election in his now iconic dark sunglasses and black blazer, a symbol of cool defiance, holding a sign stating: “congratulations to all of you, this is your victory.”
A senior leader of Balen’s RSP party, Ramesh Paudyal, called the victory “the most beautiful endorsement of the Gen-Z movement. The true tribute to the Gen-Z martyrs will be expressed through the work carried out every day by the government led by Balendra Shah.”
The youth-led landslide victory calls to mind the recent victory of Zohran Mamdani, New York’s newest, and youngest, mayor. Mamdani also found fame as a rapper, but has since reshaped politics for young people, ushering in a Socialist New York.
Globally, the tides are starting to turn in favour of a more progressive, young, political voice. The rest of the world watches Nepal’s next move keenly, a promise of what could be.
