America News Agency

Two of Nepal’s most popular political leaders forged an alliance ahead of next year’s elections after deadly youth protests earlier this year brought down the government.

Television host and 51-year-old Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) chair Rabi Lamichhane, and 35-year-old rapper and Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah, pledged to address the demands of the younger generation following the deadly anti-corruption protests in September.

At least 77 people were killed in the youth uprising on September 8–9. The protests were triggered by anger over a brief government ban on social media, as well as public frustration after years of economic stagnation and allegations of entrenched political corruption.

Under the agreement, Lamichhane will remain party chair, while Shah will be the prime ministerial candidate in the March 5 elections.

Speaking after the agreement was signed on Sunday, Lamichhane said, “Compromise should be what the country needs, not what the leader wants.”

Lamichhane, recently released on bail in connection with cooperative fraud and alleged links to organized crime, is a popular television host in the Himalayan republic.