Kathmandu (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Sushila Karki, Nepal’s new leader, arrives at the prime minister’s office to chair her first meeting with government officials as the interim leader. Karki, who was a former chief justice, was appointed on Friday following deadly anti-corruption protests that ousted her predecessor.
Nepal’s first woman prime minister was inaugurated on Friday as interim prime minister, concluding an eventful week which saw large and deadly youth protests against corruption and nepotism that resulted in the toppling of the country’s leader and political instability.
How did Sushila Karki become Nepal’s interim leader?
In choosing Sushila Karki,73, a former chief justice, as its unexpected choice for their “Gen Z” protests, the young protesters behind the movement, which began both as a social media protest against the extravagance of “Nepo Kids”, went to the streets, causing the most deadly social unrest that Nepal has observed in the past years.
Protesters indicated their support for Karki through an informal vote on the messaging app Discord.
How did the protests lead to Prime Minister Oli’s fall?
As reported, frustration has been building in the Himalayan country for years regarding the rising rate of youth unemployment and lack of economic opportunities, made worse by what many see as an increasing gap between the country’s elite and ordinary people.
Nepal’s recent political turmoil began back in early September, when a group of young Nepalis organised a peaceful protest in response to politicians’ children posting from their luxurious travels while they acknowledged the struggles of Nepalis to make ends meet.
A government prohibition last week on more than two dozen social media sites – including Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp – only served to escalate matters. In a breathtaking political development, protesters set fire to parliament and the Supreme Court, important symbols of the state, and forced Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to resign.
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