Nepal’s new Rastriya Swatantra Party is heading for a landslide win in the country’s first parliamentary election since youth protests toppled the old leadership last year. On Sunday, election officials published results that show the party has already won most directly elected seats. Vote counting continues, and officials expect final results later this week. The party is led by Balendra Shah, a rapper-turned-politician. He rose to prominence during the uprising that pushed out a longtime prime minister. The new party unseats Nepal’s two dominant parties. Supporters celebrate, but party leaders ask them to pause public rallies out of respect to the dozens killed in protests last year.
