Nepal’s new parliament holds its first session after deadly anti-corruption protests, with a younger government led by rapper-turned-PM Balendra Shah.
KATHMANDU: Nepal’s newly elected lawmakers convened for their first parliamentary session on Thursday. This follows the deadly anti-corruption protests that toppled the previous government and burned the old parliament building last September.
The session was held in a new parliament building, with many politicians taking their seats for the first time. Among them was the nation’s new Prime Minister, Balendra Shah.
The 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician led his Rastriya Swatantra Party to a landslide election victory in March. His party won 182 of the 275 seats, just short of a two-thirds majority.
Shah attended the session dressed all in black, wearing his trademark dark sunglasses inside the hall. He has remained largely silent publicly since the election win, beyond taking his oath and releasing a rap song.
In the song, he said the “strength of unity” was his “national power”. His party’s president, Rabi Lamichhane, addressed the lawmakers on Thursday.
“The votes we have received are not just of support, but for change… and I can proudly say we have begun that change,” Lamichhane said. He asked the opposition to “monitor us 24 hours” and use their experience to point out mistakes.
The new parliament is markedly younger than the previous government. Nearly 60 directly elected members are under the age of 40.
The September protests began over a brief social media ban but tapped into deep public fury over corruption and economic hardship. At least 76 people were killed over two days of unrest.
An inquiry commission has recommended investigating several former officials for the violence. This includes four-time ex-prime minister KP Sharma Oli, ex-home minister Ramesh Lekhak, and Kathmandu’s former chief district officer.
Oli, Lekhak, and the district officer have denied responsibility for the deaths. No charges have been laid so far in connection with the unrest.