Former-Chief Justice Sushila Karki takes oath as Nepal's interim PM

Nepal’s former Chief Justice Sushila Karki was sworn in as the country’s interim Prime Minister on Friday, three days after KP Sharma Oli resigned following widespread anti-corruption protests against his government.

 

Karki, 73, is the only woman to have served as Chief Justice of Nepal’s Supreme Court and has now become the first woman to hold the post of Prime Minister in the Himalayan nation.

 

 

Her appointment was announced after marathon discussions among protesters, the Nepali Army, and President Ram Chandra Poudel. According to the president’s press advisor, Karki was appointed head of the interim government through consensus within all groups. A postgraduate from Banaras Hindu University in India, Karki is known as a bold and fair jurist with zero tolerance for corruption. 

 

Her immediate challenge, however, remains that of restoring law and order in Nepal after days of violent protests that have claimed at least 51 lives.

 

After assuming office, she will form a small cabinet and, in its first meeting, recommend the dissolution of Parliament in line with the agreement reached among stakeholders. The President will then dissolve Parliament.

 

The protesters’ key demands include tackling corruption, ending favouritism, and lifting the ban on social media platforms.

 

Nepal's GenZ protests

 

Nepal has been gripped by days of unrest, with youth-led protests erupting over corruption, unemployment, and a temporary government ban on social media that acted as the spark. As demonstrations turned violent, protesters torched ministers’ residences, the Parliament building, the Supreme Court, and other properties. The clashes left at least 51 people dead and dozens injured, including the wife of a former prime minister. Reports also suggest that several inmates escaped from prisons in the ensuing chaos.

 

The escalating violence eventually forced the Army to leave its barracks, take control of the streets, and enforce a nationwide curfew.