
Nepal vote count: Rapper Balen Shah’s party leads in key races
Vote counting is under way in Nepal following the March 5 general election, held amid political turbulence. Early trends show the Rastriya Swatantra Party, led by rapper-turned-politician Balen Shah, taking a strong lead in many constituencies. Nepal’s Parliament has 275 seats, with 165 elected through direct polls and the remaining 110 filled through proportional representation. Officials said voter turnout was around 60%. Balen Shah, a former mayor of Kathmandu, was named the party’s prime ministerial candidate. The Unified Marxist–Leninist party fielded former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli as its candidate.


































