Nepal Names First Female Prime Minister Amid Deadly Protests
KATHMANDU — Nepal has appointed its first female prime minister as the nation struggles to recover from a week of unprecedented unrest that left at least 51 people dead, more than 1,300 injured, and thousands of prisoners on the run. Former Chief Justice Sushila Karki, 73, was sworn in Friday as interim head of government in a ceremony broadcast live on state television, according to Al Jazeera News.
Karki, the only woman to have ever led Nepal’s Supreme Court, is seen as a strong anticorruption voice. Her appointment follows violent protests sparked by public outrage over government corruption, a ban on social media, and widespread dissatisfaction with governance. Authorities reported that 21 protesters, nine prisoners, three police officers, and 18 others died during the turmoil, while 12,533 escaped prisoners remain at large. Some fugitives attempted to cross into India, where many were apprehended by border forces.
The unrest escalated after security forces clashed with demonstrators. Protesters set fire to the parliament building, forcing the resignation of former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and prompting the army to take to the streets. Nepal’s army also recovered more than 100 firearms looted during the unrest, including automatic rifles, raising fears about the proliferation of weapons amid the chaos.
Karki’s selection reflects an effort to quell the unrest and build a fragile consensus. While widely supported by younger protest groups, particularly Gen Z activists, she is less popular among other factions. Constitutional experts note that her appointment as interim prime minister required dissolving parliament, highlighting the complexity of Nepal’s political landscape.
Despite the violence, signs of calm are beginning to return to Kathmandu. Shops have reopened, traffic flows more freely, and police patrols are less heavily armed. Authorities have begun returning the bodies of protest victims to their families, a solemn task that underscores the human cost of the crisis.
“While his friends backed off, he decided to go ahead,” said Karuna Budhathoki, waiting to collect the body of her 23-year-old nephew at Kathmandu’s Teaching Hospital. “We were told he was brought dead to the hospital.”
Nepal now faces a period of political uncertainty, with the interim government tasked with stabilizing the country while addressing the deep-rooted grievances that ignited the protests.
