NEPAL - In his first 100 days as Nepal's prime minister, 36-year-old rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah ("Balen") has moved swiftly but remained an unusually elusive...

public figure. The former Kathmandu mayor took office after a landslide victory in March's general election, the first vote since youth-led anti-corruption protests toppled the previous government.
Shah's first move set the tone: a day after being sworn in, police arrested former PM KP Sharma Oli on an inquiry commission's recommendation. Observers describe the Shah administration as fast and symbolically loaded, but often legally contested and impatient with institutional processes. The government launched a 100-point reform agenda covering governance, anti-corruption, and digitalization, with about 70 measures reportedly implemented. Shah communicates primarily through social media, delivers his victory speech as a rap song, and has avoided meetings with foreign envoys—sending his minister to India and China instead. "In three months, we know very little about the man we have elected," journalist Pranaya Rana noted. Admirers praise his action-oriented approach—"it started working from day one," said journalist Sudheer Sharma. Critics, including Oli's communist party, call the work "weak, immature, and controversial." Shah has pushed reforms through ordinances despite holding a parliamentary majority, raising concerns about checks and balances. One ordinance allows Shah-chaired constitutional council decisions by simple majority. A bid to remove squatter settlements has attracted further criticism. "The first 100 days is the time they have the most goodwill," Rana warned. "Now, the criticism may mount, even from the public." (Bssnews)