NEPALI rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah was sworn in as prime minister on Friday after winning the first election since anti-corruption protests last year that toppled the government.
The 35-year-old leader and his Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) won the polls this month on a platform of youth-led political change.
"I, Balendra Shah, in the name of the country and people, pledge that I will be loyal to the constitution," Shah said, dressed in black, including his dark sunglasses.
People at the ceremony cheered and chanted his name after he took office. He named key cabinet posts, including former youth activist Sudan Gurung as interior minister.
At least 77 people were killed in the anti-corruption youth uprising, which began over a brief social media ban but reflected anger over economic hardship in the nation of 30 million people.
Shah, also known as Balen, was sworn in a day after he released his first public statement since winning the March 5 elections through a rap song on social media.
"The strength of unity is my national power," Shah sang in the song, which has received nearly three million views since being released on social media and streaming sites on Thursday evening.
Shah had not spoken publicly after his RSP party won the election, securing a majority of 182 seats in the 275-seat House of Representatives.
He campaigned alongside RSP president Rabi Lamichhane, 51, a television host, former deputy prime minister and interior minister, and now a lawmaker.
"My heart is full of courage, my red blood is boiling; my brothers stand with me, this time we will rise," Shah said in his song.
"May my breath not run out; I will run like a leopard," he added.
Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle, a former United Nations economic adviser, will handle reforms of Nepal's economy.
Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal, a former education minister, will manage Nepal's relations with India and China.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Shah on Friday and said he looked forward to taking "India-Nepal friendship and cooperation to even greater heights", he said in a statement.
China also congratulated Shah, with foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian saying Beijing wanted to "deepen practical cooperation" with Nepal.
'Caution and boldness'
Sushila Karki, 73, a former chief justice who led the caretaker administration for six months, said the country's future was with a younger generation.
"It makes me even more delighted to have a 35-year-old youth as my successor," the outgoing interim prime minister, who hugged Shah after he took the oath, said in a statement.
"May you succeed in honouring the people's mandate by striking a balance between caution and boldness."
Karki said a report into the crackdown on protesters would be released but gave no further details.
According to a leaked copy of the report seen by AFP, the commission recommended prosecution of former prime minister KP Sharma Oli, who was removed during the uprising.
Oli, 74, a four-time prime minister, was defeated by Shah in his constituency.
At least 19 young people were killed in a crackdown on the first day of protests. No one has been convicted.
Former interior minister Ramesh Lekhak and former police chief Chandra Kuber Khapung should also be investigated and prosecuted, the report said.
The report said that in 48 of the 63 completed autopsies, victims died from bullet wounds, with most hit in the chest or head.
(With inputs from agencies)
