The millennial mayor of Kathmandu has emerged as one of the only politicians in Nepal to publicly back protesters in the antigovernment unrest that forced the prime minister from office and burned government buildings in the capital.
While the protesters have rejected most political leaders as disconnected and corrupt, many in the grass roots movement are embracing the mayor, Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old rapper who won an upset election victory three years ago.
In Kathmandu, where protesters set fire to the Parliament building and residences belonging to the president, prime minister and other leaders, the mayor did not join the demonstrators. But he did back their calls for the prime minister’s resignation, urged protesters not to destroy property and told his hundreds of thousands of followers on social media that he was on the side of the “spontaneous movement” known in Nepal as the Gen Z protests.
“Dear Gen Z, the resignation of your murderer has come,” he said on social media on Tuesday, referring to the former prime minister, K.P. Sharma Oli. “Now be restrained!!”
He then offered advice.
“Be ready to lead the country. Stay ready to hold talks with the army chief,” the mayor posted on Facebook. “But remember, Parliament should be dissolved before the talks.”
After unrest that left 22 people dead over two days, the Gen Z protesters have called for the formation of an interim government led by a former chief justice of Nepal’s Supreme Court and early elections to fill the political void. Nepal’s Constitution allows the president — who remains in office — to dissolve Parliament upon the prime minister’s recommendation. After Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and some of his cabinet ministers resigned on Tuesday, the remaining government has in effect become a caretaker, and the Army has deployed to the streets of Kathmandu to impose order.
Mr. Shah is known as a political outsider, which has helped him get to where he is now.
Running as an independent, he won the mayor’s race by a landslide, trouncing major-party rivals. His win, analysts said at the time, inspired other young people in a country where many political leaders are twice the age of the average voter.
As a rapper, his lyrics about Nepal’s economic problems and brain drain — millions of the country’s people work overseas — struck a chord, and his signature black blazer and jeans, paired with square black sunglasses, made him recognizable on the city’s streets. Since taking office, he has leaned on his experience as a structural engineer; his government has opened local health clinics and given high schools money to expand vocational training.
One of his major promises, to provide enough clean drinking water for the capital’s residents, has been more difficult to achieve. On Monday, his office distributed drinking water to demonstrators before the protests turned violent.
Lynsey Chutel is a Times reporter based in London who covers breaking news in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
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