Marxistisk veteran utmanas av tidigare rappare

Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli (born 22 February 1952) is a Nepalese politician who served as the 38th prime minister of Nepal. He is the chairman of the CPN (UML) since 2014. Oli was Member of Parliament from 2017 to 2025. Oli's tenure in office has been controversial for frequent use of tongue-in-cheek remarks, hostility towards critics and the media, and accusations of fostering cronyism, corruption, nepotism and racism. After his government murdered students during the peaceful, anti-corruption Gen Z protests, he was overthrown from his post in government. Oli opposed the 2015 blockade of Nepal by India. He strengthened relations with China as an alternative to Nepal's traditionally close trade ties with India.

Balendra Shah (born 27 April 1990), more commonly known as Balen, is a Nepali politician, structural engineer and former rapper who served as the 15th mayor of Kathmandu from 30 May 2022 until his resignation on 18 January 2026. He was the first independent candidate to be elected as mayor of Kathmandu. Shah has been a part of the Nepalese hip-hop industry since 2012. In the 2022 local election, Shah was elected mayor, defeating Nepali Congress candidate Srijana Singh and CPN (UML) candidate and former Kathmandu mayor Keshav Sthapit. As mayor, Shah's tenure included improvements to waste management and road traffic control but was also highly controversial for his high-handed approach to complex issues like squatter resettlement, demolition of illegally built private structures, and his administration's persecution of street vendors. In January 2026, Shah resigned as mayor of Kathmandu and joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) to contest the 5 March 2026 general elections.