Nepal’s former Supreme Court chief justice Sushila Karki has become the country’s interim prime minister after deadly anti-corruption protests ousted the government.
More than 50 people were killed in clashes with riot police during this week’s mass protests sparked by a ban on social media platforms.
The agreement between the president and the protest leaders was reached after days of consultations.
She has said that her husband’s support played a major role in her journey from a lawyer to Nepal’s chief justice in 2016.
And while the social media ban was hastily lifted on Monday night, the protests had by that stage gained unstoppable momentum.
Sushila Karki, a former chief justice of Nepal’s Supreme Court, has been appointed as the country’s acting prime minister following the overthrow of the government due to violence against corruption.
A compromise with the protest leaders led to Karki, 73, being sworn in during a short ceremony, making her the first woman to lead the poor Himalayan country.
A ban on social media platforms triggered widespread protests this week, which resulted in clashes with riot police that claimed the lives of over 50 people.
Protests had grown into a large-scale movement by the time the ban was lifted on Monday. In the capital Kathmandu, angry mobs set government and parliament buildings on fire on Tuesday, forcing Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to step down.
The BBC was informed earlier Friday by President Ram Chandra Poudel’s press adviser that Karki would take the oath of office that evening.
Following days of discussions, the president and the protest leaders came to an agreement. Experts in law were also involved.
Late Friday saw the dissolution of Parliament, and it was declared that general elections would take place on March 5 of the following year.
In a few days, Karki is anticipated to name ministers to her cabinet.
She is supported by student leaders from the so-called “Gen Z” to lead the interim government and is generally seen as a clean-cut individual.
Her cabinet will have a number of tasks to complete, including reestablishing law and order, rebuilding the parliament and other damaged buildings, and assuring the Gen Z demonstrators who demand change and other Nepalis who are concerned that the country’s fledgling democracy and constitutional order may be overthrown.
Bringing the perpetrators of violence to justice will be another crucial task.
The compromise reached in this week’s negotiations, which were mediated by Nepal’s army chief, led to Karki’s appointment. Gen Z supporters are expressing their joy on social media, and many believe that this is the next step in the new political direction they wish to see the nation go.
Karki visited the Kathmandu protest site on Tuesday, where 19 people were killed in clashes with police the previous day. Additionally, she had the opportunity to meet some of the hospitalized injured patients.
Born into a family with strong ties to the Koirala political dynasty from Nepal’s largest democratic party, the Nepali Congress, Karki later married Durga Subedi, the party’s leader at the time.
She has stated that her transition from a lawyer to Nepal’s chief justice in 2016 was greatly aided by her husband’s support.
Karki, however, has not been impartial; during her nearly 11-month tenure as chief justice, she even encountered an impeachment incident.
As Nepal struggles with the most severe instability in decades, the army continues to patrol the streets of Kathmandu. In order to enable residents to purchase necessities, restrictions were only temporarily removed.
The government’s decision last week to ban 26 social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, set off the protests, but they quickly expanded to reflect a much deeper dissatisfaction with Nepal’s political establishment.
A social media campaign known as “nepo kid” had gained popularity in the weeks prior to the ban, focusing on claims of corruption and the extravagant lifestyles of politicians’ kids.
Even though the social media ban was quickly lifted on Monday night, the demonstrations had already gathered unstoppable momentum.
