New alliance vows to address youth demands in Nepal polls

KATHMANDU, Nepal: Two of Nepal’s most popular political leaders united Sunday to forge a new alliance ahead of next year’s election, a move that is likely to challenge the long-dominant traditional parties.

Television host Rabi Lamichhane, the 51-year-old chairperson of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), and Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah pledged to address the demands of the younger generation following September’s deadly anti-corruption protests that ousted the government.

Swarnim Wagle, vice-chairman of RSP, called the alliance a “rare combination of courage, sacrifice and hope” for the country as it gears up for the March 5 election.

“The new generation leaders have united by putting nation above self, in tune with the aspirations of the youth of Nepal,” Wagle told AFP.

At least 77 people were killed during the September 8-9 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 chairman, while rapper-turned-mayor Shah, 35, will be the candidate for prime minister.

“Consensus should not be as the leader seeks, it should be what the country needs,” Lamichhane said in a statement on social media after the deal was signed.

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 K.P. Sharma Oli’s government.

On Saturday, Karki held meetings with Oli, Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba and 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,” she said.