Balendra Shah, a former rapper turned politician, has been sworn in as Nepal's prime minister, taking the helm of the country at a difficult political and economic moment.
The 35-year-old was tasked with restoring stability and creating jobs in the Himalayan state, which has faced fragile governments and a lack of development for years.
Shah came to power after the Independent National Party (INP), founded just three years ago, secured a landslide victory in the March 5 parliamentary elections, winning 182 of the 275 seats. The elections were the first since violent youth-led anti-corruption protests that left 76 people dead last September.
A former mayor of Kathmandu, Shah is Nepal's youngest prime minister in decades and the first representative of the "Madesi" community to take the post. He was sworn in at the Presidential Palace in the presence of diplomats and senior officials.
Analysts say the new government's first challenge will be to quickly deliver services to citizens and implement the recommendations of a commission that investigated violence during anti-corruption protests. The report calls for criminal prosecution of those responsible for the crackdown, including former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
Nepal continues to face serious economic and social problems, with about a fifth of the population living in poverty, while thousands of citizens leave the country every day to work abroad. Political instability remains a major challenge, with 32 governments having come to power since 1990, none of which have managed to complete a full five-year term.
