Is all well in Balen Shah's Nepal? Why protests are testing his promise of change

A little over 100 days into office, Nepal's youngest prime minister is already facing the kind of anger that swept his predecessor from power. When Balendra "Balen" Shah took office in March, he carried the hopes of a generation that had grown tired of corruption, political dynasties and empty promises. The rapper-turned-engineer-turned-politician was not just another elected leader; he was the face of a political reset born from the Gen Z uprising that shook Nepal in 2025. But revolutions have a habit of creating impossible expectations. Barely three months later, protesters are back on Kathmandu's streets. Last week, youth in Nepal gathered outside the deparment of passports in Tripureshwar. They were not there for paperwork. They were mourning a 25-year-old ride-share driver named Ganesh Nepali, who had set himself on fire days earlier after a dispute with traffic police over a fine he could not afford.