In a groundbreaking ceremony at Shital Niwas, Nepal’s presidential residence, former Chief Justice Sushila Karki was sworn in as the country’s interim Prime Minister on Friday, marking her as the first woman to lead the Himalayan nation.

President Ram Chandra Paudel administered the oath in a subdued event broadcast on state television, attended by key Gen Z protest leaders who raised their hands in solidarity with the 73-year-old jurist.

 

Karki’s appointment comes just days after a youth-driven uprising toppled the previous government, dissolving Parliament in her first cabinet meeting and paving the way for elections within six months.

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Karki, who made history as Nepal’s first female Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 2016 to 2017, was the unanimous choice of the Gen Z protesters following a wave of deadly demonstrations that exposed deep-seated frustrations with corruption, nepotism, and economic inequality.

The protests, largely led by students and young activists, erupted early this month over a government ban on major social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—seen as an attempt to stifle online exposés of politicians’ lavish lifestyles funded by public money.

What began as a peaceful Gen Z movement on TikTok and Viber quickly escalated into Nepal’s deadliest unrest in decades, with at least 51 deaths, over 1,300 injuries, and widespread arson targeting Parliament, the Supreme Court, and ministers’ homes.

 

The revolution, reminiscent of Bangladesh’s student-led uprising last year, forced Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and his cabinet to resign on Tuesday after protesters stormed Singha Durbar—the seat of government—and defied curfews imposed in Kathmandu, Pokhara, and other cities.
Thousands of inmates escaped prisons amid the chaos, and the Nepali Army was deployed to restore order.

 

Gen Z leaders, frustrated by a 20.8% youth unemployment rate and the dominance of aging politicians like Oli, Deuba, and Dahal—who have rotated the premiership 12 times in the last decade—endorsed Karki via online polls on Discord, praising her unblemished record.

 

Known for her zero-tolerance stance on graft, Karki’s judicial tenure included landmark rulings against abuse of authority and a controversial impeachment attempt she weathered without compromising her principles.

She even joined the protests on Tuesday, visiting a site in Kathmandu where 19 demonstrators were killed in clashes with police the previous day.

“This is our revolution—it’s our turn now,” one young protester, Sujan Dahal, declared, echoing the sentiment of a generation demanding clean governance.

 

As interim leader, Karki faces immense challenges: quelling lingering violence, recapturing escaped prisoners, and rebuilding trust in institutions amid international calls for restraint from Amnesty International and the U.S. State Department.

India has welcomed the new government, expressing hopes for peace and stability, while her vow to “establish a new beginning” resonates with a nation yearning for reform.

 

Karki’s rise symbolizes a seismic shift toward youth empowerment and female leadership in South Asia. As one Gen Z activist put it, “We have a woman of expertise who has always been on the right side of history.”

With Nepal’s future hanging in the balance, her devotion to the rule of law offers a glimmer of hope for prosperity and justice.

 

 

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