Nepal’s new prime minister, Sushila Karki, on Sunday pledged to serve only six months in office while promising to uphold protesters’ demands to “end corruption.”
Her appointment follows weeks of unprecedented “Gen Z” youth-led demonstrations that toppled the previous government and plunged the nation into turmoil.
Karki, 73, a former chief justice known for her independence, was sworn in on Friday after intense negotiations brokered by army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel and President Ram Chandra Paudel. Her mandate is to restore order and prepare for fresh elections scheduled for March 5, 2026.
“We have to work according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation,” Karki said in her first public remarks, noting that young people were at the heart of the protests. “What this group is demanding is end of corruption, good governance and economic equality. You and I have to be determined to fulfil that.”
The protests, which began last Monday after a government ban on social media, quickly escalated into wider unrest fueled by longstanding economic grievances. Parliament and several government buildings in the Singha Durbar complex were set ablaze.
At least 72 people were killed and 191 injured during two days of clashes, according to chief secretary Eaknarayan Aryal, making it the deadliest violence since the end of Nepal’s civil war and abolition of the monarchy in 2008.
Holding a minute’s silence for the victims, Karki admitted her rise was unconventional. “The situation that I have come in, I have not wished to come here. My name was brought from the streets,” she told the nation. Thousands of young activists had rallied on Discord, nominating her as their preferred leader.
Parliament has since been dissolved, and Karki assured citizens of a timely transition. “We will not stay here more than six months in any situation, we will complete our responsibilities and pledge to hand over to the next parliament and ministers,” she emphasized.
President Paudel acknowledged the enormity of the challenge, calling it a “very difficult, complicated, and grave situation.” He urged citizens to embrace the elections as a chance for renewal. Soldiers, who were deployed en masse during the protests, have begun withdrawing from the streets, though over 12,500 prisoners who escaped during the unrest remain at large.
International reactions were swift. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged New Delhi’s support for “peace, progress and prosperity” in Nepal, while China’s foreign ministry expressed readiness to “push China-Nepal relations steadily forward.” The Dalai Lama also sent blessings, wishing Karki “every success in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the people of Nepal in these challenging times.”
What You Should Know
Sushila Karki, Nepal’s new interim prime minister, took office after Gen Z-led protests forced out her predecessor.
Promising to serve only six months, she vowed to “end corruption” and restore stability ahead of March 2026 elections. Her appointment comes after deadly unrest left 72 dead and nearly 200 injured.
