Written by Joyce Nzomo
Nepal’s President Ramchandra Paudel has dissolved parliament and scheduled fresh elections for March 5, 2026, following a week of deadly unrest that forced the resignation of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli.
The announcement came just hours after Paudel appointed Sushila Karki, a former Chief Justice, as the country’s first woman Prime Minister to head an interim government. Karki was sworn in on Thursday after days of negotiations involving the president, army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel, and leaders of the youth-driven protests.
The anti-graft demonstrations, led largely by “Gen Z” activists, erupted after a controversial social media ban and escalated into the worst political violence in years, leaving at least 51 people dead and over 1,300 injured. The protests subsided after Oli stepped down on Tuesday.
India, Nepal’s southern Neighbour, welcomed the developments. “Heartfelt congratulations to the Honorable Sushila Karki Ji on assuming the office of Prime Minister of Nepal’s interim government.
India is fully committed to the peace, progress, and prosperity of Nepal’s brothers and sisters,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X.
The turmoil highlights Nepal’s ongoing struggle with political instability since abolishing its monarchy in 2008. Economic challenges remain pressing, with limited job opportunities driving millions of Nepali workers abroad, particularly to the Middle East, South Korea, and Malaysia.
By Friday, life in Kathmandu and other cities began to return to normal, with shops reopening, traffic resuming, and police swapping firearms for batons as calm slowly returned.
Courtesy of Reuters
