On Friday, September 12th, Nepalese President appointed former Chief Justice Sushila Karki as the interim Prime Minister to oversee the parliamentary lower house elections before March 11, 2026.
A wave of anti-corruption protests compelled former Prime Minister and Communist Party member K.P. Sharma Oli to resign on Tuesday, September 9th, paving the way for Karki to become Nepal’s first female Prime Minister.
President Ramchandra Paudel presided over Karki’s swearing-in ceremony at the presidential palace on Friday, which was broadcast live.
Nepal witnessed its most severe unrest in years this week. Karki’s appointment came after negotiations between the President, Army Chief Ashok Raj Sigdel, and protesters.
The President’s office stated that Karki’s mandate is to conduct new elections for the lower house of the parliament before March 11, 2026. It is expected that she will appoint other ministers in the coming days.
In this week’s “Z Generation” anti-corruption protests, 51 people died and over 1300 were injured. The movement was predominantly led by young supporters and students.
Protester Manjita Manandhar expressed mixed feelings about Karki’s appointment, noting that many young people lost their lives in the recent turmoil.
She said, “But we did it!!! For them! For a new Nepal! The journey has just begun. We Nepalese must stand strong, do our best to make Nepal the best country in the world. This is just the beginning.”
The protests were triggered by a government social media ban, which was later revoked amidst the protests. Violence began to subside only after Oli’s resignation on Tuesday. Upon his resignation, following a visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin and the September 3rd military parade in Beijing, Oli’s whereabouts are currently unknown.
Karki is the only woman to have served as the Chief Justice, and protesters admire her reputation for honesty and integrity, as well as her stance against corruption.
She held the position of Chief Justice for about a year until mid-2017.
Constitutional expert and analyst Bipin Adhikari stated that Karki’s primary challenge will be to investigate the violent incidents and property damage during the protests, holding those responsible accountable.
“She must ensure good governance, curb corruption, uphold the rule of law, assure public safety, and strengthen law enforcement,” he added, emphasizing that these are significant challenges.
Since abolishing the monarchy in 2008, Nepal has grappled with political and economic instability, and a lack of employment opportunities has forced millions to seek work in other countries and send money back home.
(Partially based on reporting from Reuters)