Nepal on the brink: Ruling elites increasingly out of sync with the people

Nepal's youth-led protests, triggered by a sweeping social media ban, have exposed deep political and economic rot, forcing PM Oli's resignation and leaving the country at a crossroads

The violence that brought Nepal to a standstill may have caught the ruling establishment off guard but the crisis has been brewing for at least a decade. At its core is the deep-rooted frustration of the Nepal youth at the government’s inability to deliver economic growth and job opportunities, a predicament worsened by corruption, which afflicts almost every facet of Nepalese public life. More than half of Nepal’s population is under the age of 30. This important demographic, which pointedly identified itself as GenZ at the protests in Kathmandu, is better-educated and has better exposure to global developments. With the