Kathmandu, September 14, 2025: Nepal’s new interim prime minister, former chief justice Sushila Karki, pledged Sunday to heed the demands of “Gen Z” protesters for an end to corruption, good governance, and economic equality, as she assumed charge after days of violent unrest toppled her predecessor.
The 73-year-old Karki, the country’s first woman to serve as chief justice, was chosen following marathon negotiations between President Ram Chandra Paudel, army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel, and representatives of the youth-led protest movement. She took office on Friday and will lead until 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 remarks, pledging that her administration would serve no longer than six months. “What this group is demanding is an end to corruption, good governance, and economic equality. You and I have to be determined to fulfil that.”
The protests began last Monday after the government imposed a ban on social media platforms, but they quickly spread nationwide, fuelled by years of frustration over corruption and economic stagnation. Demonstrators torched parliament and government offices in the Singha Durbar complex, forcing the resignation of the prime minister.
According to chief secretary Eaknarayan Aryal, at least 72 people were killed in two days of clashes with security forces — the deadliest unrest since Nepal’s 2006 peace settlement ended a decade-long Maoist insurgency and abolished the monarchy two years later.
More than 12,500 prisoners also escaped from jails during the chaos, leaving the security forces scrambling to restore order. Soldiers deployed in large numbers earlier this week have now begun pulling back from city streets.
Karki, widely respected for her independence, said her name had been put forward by protesters themselves, many of whom organized through the Discord app. “The situation that I have come in, I have not wished to come here. My name was brought from the streets,” she told reporters after holding a minute’s silence for those killed.
President Paudel described the settlement as “a peaceful solution found through a difficult process,” while urging all parties to ensure that the upcoming elections succeed.
Both India and China, Nepal’s powerful neighbours, congratulated Karki on her appointment. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said New Delhi supported “peace, progress and prosperity” in Nepal, while Beijing’s foreign ministry vowed to “push China-Nepal relations steadily forward.”
The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, also offered blessings, wishing Karki “every success in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the people of Nepal in these challenging times.”
Nepal, a Himalayan nation of 30 million, faces unemployment of over 20 percent among youth aged 15–24, according to the World Bank, with GDP per capita at just $1,447.
