Nepal’s new leader, Sushila Karki has vowed to heed protesters’ demands to “end corruption” as she assumed office as interim prime minister.
“We have to work according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation,” said Sushila Karki, the 73-year-old former chief justice, in her first public remarks since taking office on Friday.
“What this group is demanding is the end of corruption, good governance and economic equality,” she added. “You and I have to be determined to fulfil that.”
On Sunday, Karki observed a minute’s silence for those killed in the unrest before holding meetings at Singha Durbar, the central government complex, where several buildings had been set ablaze during Tuesday’s mass protests.
At least 72 people were killed in two days of violence, while 191 were injured, according to the government’s chief secretary, Eaknarayan Aryal, who announced an increased death toll from an earlier figure of 51. It was the deadliest unrest since the 2008 abolition of the monarchy and the end of a decade-long civil war.
Karki’s appointment, noted for her independence, followed negotiations led by army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel and President Ram Chandra Paudel, who also engaged with representatives of “Gen Z,” the umbrella title for the youth protest movement.
Thousands of young activists had used the Discord app to nominate Karki as their choice for prime minister.
“The situation that I have come into, I have not wished to come here. My name was brought from the streets,” she said.
Parliament has been dissolved and elections scheduled for March 5, 2026, shortly after her appointment.
“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 told the nation.
“This is not possible without your support.”
A new signboard was mounted for the prime minister’s office within the complex, though in a building that had not been torched during the unrest.
President Paudel, who administered Karki’s oath of office, said late Saturday that “a peaceful solution has been found through a difficult process.”
He described it as “a very difficult, complicated, and grave situation” in the Himalayan nation of 30 million people.
“I sincerely appeal to everyone to make the most of this opportunity… in making the election on March 5 a success,” he added.
AFP