A 20‑year‑old restaurant worker and Gen‑Z protester raises a shovel in defiance in the wake of anti‑corruption protests in Kathmandu last September. | REUTERS
Jul 23, 2026
Ten months ago, Nepal’s Generation Z helped bring down a prime minister, then swept a new government into office on promises of accountability and change. Today, many of those same young people are back in the streets — not because they have abandoned reform, but because they believe the government they helped elect is already betraying it.
Prime Minister Balen Shah, the independent rapper-turned-politician whose anti-establishment campaign galvanized Nepal’s Gen Z, rose to power as the face of a new political generation, promising to confront corruption and break with decades of entrenched political dysfunction.
Shah’s victory raised extraordinary expectations among young Nepalis. But just over 100 days into his administration, many supporters say those expectations have given way to frustration. While no government can solve decades of structural problems in a few months, the pace and manner of Shah’s reforms have left many questioning whether the promised change is materializing.
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