Kathmandu: Balen Shah, parliamentary leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, has officially taken the oath of office as Nepal’s 47th Prime Minister.
President Ram Chandra Poudel administered the oath to the 36-year-old leader during a special ceremony held at Shital Niwas.
Earlier, President Poudel had appointed Shah as Prime Minister under Article 76(1) of the Constitution, recognizing him as the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives. This marks the first time since the promulgation of the 2015 Constitution that a Prime Minister has been appointed under this specific provision. It is also the first time a leader from the Madheshi community has assumed the post of Prime Minister in Nepal.
Shah, who resigned as Mayor of Kathmandu to contest the elections held on Falgun 21, entered Parliament for the first time and rose directly to the premiership. He secured a decisive victory from Jhapa-5, defeating former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli by nearly 50,000 votes.
Alongside the Prime Minister, members of the new Cabinet were also sworn in. Prime Minister Shah will oversee the Defence and Industry portfolios. Swarnim Wagle has been appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, while Sudhan Gurung will lead the Home Ministry.
Shishir Khanal has been assigned Foreign Affairs, and Sunil Lamsal will handle Physical Infrastructure, Transport, and Urban Development. Biraj Bhakta Shrestha has taken charge of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, while Khadkaraj Paudel (Ganesh) has been appointed Minister for Tourism.
Sasmit Pokharel will oversee Education, Science and Technology, as well as Youth and Sports. Nisha Mehta has been appointed Health and Population Minister, and Bikram Timilsina will lead Communications.
Pratibha Rawal has been given responsibility for General Administration, while Deepak Sah (Mahottari) will head Labour and Employment. Sobita Gautam has been appointed Law Minister.
Gita Chaudhary will oversee Agriculture, Livestock, Forests, and Environment, while Sita Wadi has been appointed Minister for Women, Children, and Senior Citizens.
With this new leadership in place, all eyes are now on how Prime Minister Shah and his team deliver on their reform-driven agenda in the coming months.
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