Nepal will hold first election since deadly protests, with 3 rivals vying to be prime minister

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A former rapper who ran Kathmandu as a mayor. The young leader of Nepal’s oldest political party. And a communist veteran politician hoping to return to power after being ousted in youth-led protests in which dozens were killed last year.

They are the three leading contenders as Nepal heads into a crucial nationwide election, the first since the protests led to the fall of former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli's government in September.

Whoever prevails will become Nepal’s 16th prime minister in less than two decades, underscoring the recurring political instability that has marked the Himalayan nation since the monarchy was abolished in 2008.

The protests in Nepal last year revealed the extent of young people’s frustration with corruption and a lack of opportunity in the country, where around a fifth of young adults are unemployed, but where the children of the political elite seem to enjoy luxury lifestyles and numerous advantages.

After public outrage led to the resignation of the government, millions of Nepalese voters are now gearing up to elect members of the House of Representatives, the powerful lower chamber of parliament. The next prime minister will be chosen after securing a majority in the house.

Balendra Shah, widely known as Balen, is seen as front-runner after emerging as a popular figure during the campaign. He was elected mayor of the capital, Kathmandu, in 2022 and later left the post to become the National Independent Party's candidate for prime minister.

The 35-year-old Shah trained as a structural engineer and later gained modest fame as a rap artist, using his music to take on social issues and politics.

Dressed in his signature black attire and sunglasses, Shah has been touring the country, with supporters often lining up to greet him.

Shah won the Kathmandu mayor’s race as an independent, riding a wave of public anger toward traditional political parties. He drew praise for clearing illegal vendors, tackling the city’s chronic garbage problem and pushing road expansions, but also faced criticism for ordering the demolition of homes and properties without adequate planning or notice.

“Our agenda is that the poor people who have no money in their pockets should get a full education. The poor people with empty pockets should get access to the health facilities. That is our agenda," he told his supporters in western Nepal last week.

Another contender is Gagan Thapa, the newly installed leader of the Nepali Congress, the country’s oldest major political party, a liberal democratic party with close ties to neighboring India.

Long seen as a popular face within the Nepali Congress, Thapa, 49, had been held back by the party’s senior leadership until earlier this year, when he mounted a rebellion and secured his election as party chief.

The Nepali Congress has remained a popular party, but was part of the last coalition government that was forced out by a youth revolt in September. The youth-led protests were triggered by a social media ban before snowballing into a popular revolt against the government. Dozens were killed and hundreds injured when protesters attacked government buildings and police opened fire on them.

Thapa says his first priority would be to rid Nepal of corruption within five years and make the government fully accountable to the public.

The other contender for the post is Khadga Prasad Oli, the controversial but strong communist leader who led the coalition government that was forced out of power last year. He is blamed by many for the deaths in the violent protests that ousted him.

Despite criticism of his handling last year’s protests, Oli still commands support within the Communist Party and among many of its supporters.

Oli has consistently argued that steady policies and politics are essential for Nepal, warning that the economy needs stability to develop.

Oli's popularity peaked when he stood up to an economic blockade imposed by India in 2015 that resulted in shortages of fuel, medicine and other necessities.

Nepal is located between Asian giants India and China, and both countries have shown keen interest in having influence in their smaller neighbor. Thapa's party is traditionally closer to India while Oli's communist groups are seen as more friendly to China.

A laborer carries ballot boxes to a vehicle for distribution across the country ahead of the general election in Kathmandu, Nepal, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Khadga Prassad Oli, President of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) arrives to release election manifesto ahead of general election in Kathmandu, Nepal, Feb.19, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Gagan Thapa, president of Nepali congress party greets supporters during an election campaign in Kathmandu, Nepal, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Former Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah, center right, the prime ministerial candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, meets supporters during an election campaign rally in Jhapa, Nepal, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Umesh Karki)

This combo of three photos show from left, Khadga Prassad Oli, president of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), Gagan Thapa, president of Nepali congress both taken in Katmandu, Feb.19, 2026 and former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, photo taken in Jhapa, Feb. 23, 2026, in Nepal. (AP Photos/Niranjan Shrestha/ Umesh Karki)

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has ordered its anti-fraud office to investigate Peter Mandelson, the disgraced former British ambassador to the United States, over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while serving as Brussels' trade representative.

“Given the circumstances, and the significant amount of documents made available publicly, the European Commission also asked OLAF on 18 February to look into the matter,” a commission spokesperson who was not authorized to be publicly named said late Thursday.

The European Anti-Fraud Office, known by its French acronym OLAF, is the EU's watchdog agency that has tackled migration authorities and lawmakers for financial fraud and rights violations, among other violations. Its office did not confirm the investigation.

An influential British figure, Mandelson is under investigation for alleged misconduct in public office linked to his relationship with Epstein.

Mandelson’s ties to Epstein have threatened the leadership of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who appointed the veteran statesman to the diplomatic post despite warnings about his friendship with the disgraced financier.

Mandelson has been a major player for decades in the center-left Labour Party, known as a skilled political operative dubbed the “Prince of Darkness” for his cunning and ruthlessness.

He helped the party return to power in 1997 as “New Labour” under Prime Minister Tony Blair and served in senior positions until 2001. He served again, under Prime Minister Gordon Brown, from 2008 to 2010. In between those high-level positions in London, he was in Brussels, serving as the EU’s trade commissioner from November 2004 to October 2008 back before Brexit wrenched the U.K out of the bloc.

Mandelson was in contact with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell before, during and after that time in Brussels, according to documents analyzed by the AP.

“I love disgusting. That’s why I am wild and dangerous, and twice shy…” Mandelson wrote to Maxwell in a 2002 email.

“Pete I have warned you about that before” said Maxwell in reply. “Behave or you will be punished like the bad boy you are.”

In 2003, he messaged Maxwell about family travel arrangements using the title “Member of Parliament for Hartlepool, House of Commons.”

Payment records suggest Epstein gave Mandelson or his husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, $75,000 in 2003 and 2004. Mandelson said he had no recollection of receiving that money, questioned the authenticity of bank statements and believed the allegations were false.

Just after returning to London from Brussels, on Oct. 7, 2008, Epstein counseled Mandelson on how to frame the 2008 financial crisis as an opportunity.

Epstein offered to host Mandelson in a New York apartment in 2009, about five months before the two discussed by email manipulating then-British premier Gordon Brown to step down.

Mandelson appears to have sent Epstein, whom he referred to as his “best pal,” sensitive government information that could potentially influence markets when he was a senior minister in the British government in 2009 just after leaving the helm of the EU’s trade negotiations. The EU probe could be focused on Mandelson’s sharing of similar privileged information with Epstein.

Mandelson seems to have tipped Epstein in 2010 about the EU’s colossal half-trillion-euro bailout package to save the euro after the 2008 financial crisis. He wrote to Epstein that “sources tell me 500 b euro bailout” and should be “announced tonight” on May 9, 2010 — a day before the package was public. That information could be useful for insider trading.

All European commissioners are bound by ethical obligations and an official code of conduct during and after their time in office. Suspected breaches of those obligations can prompt investigations by OLAF.

Mandelson was released from British custody early Tuesday morning after more than nine hours of questioning. He has previously denied wrongdoing and hasn’t been charged, though the investigation is continuing.

Mandelson’s lawyers said Tuesday that he had voluntarily agreed to speak with police next month and that his arrest was the result of a “baseless suggestion” that he planned to flee the country.

Peter Mandelson ouside his home in London, Thursday Feb. 26, 2026. (James Manning/PA via AP)

FILE - EU Commissioner for Trade Peter Mandelson, left, poses with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as he visits the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, June 7, 2007. (AP Photo/Yves Logghe, File)