Two of Nepal’s most popular political leaders have formed an alliance ahead of next year’s election in the wake of deadly youth-led protests earlier in the year that ousted the government.
Television host Rabi Lamichhane, the 51-year-old chairperson of the Rastriya Swatantra party (RSP), and the 35-year-old rapper turned Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah pledged to address the demands of the younger generation following September’s deadly anti-corruption protests.
At least 77 people were killed during the 8-9 September youth-led uprising that was triggered by anger over a brief government ban on social media, building on public frustration after years of economic stagnation and allegations of entrenched political corruption.
According to the agreement, Lamichhane will remain the party’s chairperson, while Shah will be the candidate for prime minister in the 5 March election.
“Consensus should not be as the leader seeks, it should be what the country needs,” Lamichhane said in a statement after the deal was signed on Sunday.
Lamichhane, who was recently released on bail in connection with cooperative fraud and organised crime, is a popular television host in the Himalayan republic.
He set up the RSP in 2022, tapping into widespread discontent at Nepal’s elderly political leadership and becoming the deputy premier and interior minister.
Shah, popularly known as Balen, is seen as a popular figure in the political transition and helped form the interim government led by Sushila Karki after the ousting of KP Sharma Oli’s government.
On Saturday, Karki held meetings with Oli, the Nepali Congress president, Sher Bahadur Deuba, and the Nepali Communist party coordinator, Pushpa Kamal Dahal – the first such consultation since the uprising.
After the meeting, Karki wrote on social media that the election was a shared responsibility of all stakeholders. “The government is committed to guaranteeing a free and fear-free environment. We are working in a manner that leaves no room for doubt.”
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