Nepal has sworn in former chief justice Sushila Karki as its interim prime minister, following a week of violent anti-corruption protests that toppled the government of KP Sharma Oli.
The 73-year-old was sworn in on Friday evening during a brief ceremony, becoming the first woman to lead the Himalayan nation. Her appointment came after an agreement between President Ram Chandra Poudel, the military, and representatives of the youth-led “Gen Z” protest movement.
Parliament has been dissolved, and fresh elections have been scheduled for 5 March 2026, according to a statement released by the president’s office. Karki is expected to announce her cabinet in the coming days.
The crisis was triggered by a government decision to ban social media platforms, a move that fuelled anger over wider corruption and nepotism within Nepal’s political elite. The ban was lifted on Monday, but by then demonstrations had escalated into a nationwide revolt.
Tens of thousands of young protesters, most under the age of 30, poured onto the streets of Kathmandu and other cities. Police responded with force, including live ammunition, killing at least 21 civilians on Monday in what activists have described as the bloodiest day of protest in Nepal’s history.
By Tuesday, fury had reached breaking point. Protesters torched parliament and government buildings in the capital, along with the homes of senior leaders, including the prime minister. Oli, facing mounting public anger and airlifted from his residence by the army, announced his resignation that afternoon.
Sushila Karki, who had publicly condemned the use of lethal force against demonstrators as a “massacre,” quickly emerged as a consensus candidate among protesters demanding a clean break from the political establishment.
Speaking to reporters after her swearing-in, student leader Dheeraj Joshi, 25, said Karki’s appointment represented a turning point. “We are moving from a phase of destruction to a phase of construction,” he said. “That doesn’t mean everything will immediately be fine. But once the process of uprooting corruption begins, the ground will open up for a better future.”
Karki is widely regarded as a figure of integrity. Appointed Nepal’s first female chief justice in 2016, she became known for hard-hitting verdicts in corruption cases against ministers and senior officials, which earned her enemies among powerful political parties.
Since retiring from the judiciary, she has remained active in public life, often speaking out against graft and malpractice. Her reputation for independence and her outspoken criticism of the violent crackdown on protesters made her the favoured choice of the Gen Z movement.
The youth protesters were later joined by Balendra Shah, the popular mayor of Kathmandu and a rapper-turned-politician, who also endorsed Karki’s leadership.
Negotiations over the interim leadership were tense. Established political parties initially resisted dissolving parliament, raising fears of a deadlock. It was only after army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel warned that the military might impose emergency rule if no solution was found that leaders agreed to back Karki’s appointment.
Karki is now tasked with steering Nepal through a delicate transition. Many protesters are urging her to launch corruption probes into Oli and his ministers, as well as an independent inquiry into the protest deaths.
