Sushila Karki Becomes Prime Minister of Nepal’s Interim Government

Darwin, 13 September- Former Chief Justice of Nepal, Sushila Karki, has become the Prime Minister of Nepal’s interim government. She took oath as Prime Minister yesterday, Friday. With this, it is being hoped that the ongoing political crisis in Nepal has found a temporary solution.

As Prime Minister, Sushila Karki will lead the interim government and organize national elections within the next six months. According to Nepal-based media outlet The Himalayan Times, she will be joined by a three-member cabinet. However, it has not yet been finalized who will serve as ministers. Until the ministers take oath, Karki herself will hold responsibility for all ministries. Shortly after taking the oath, she dissolved parliament.

The political crisis began after Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli resigned last Tuesday amid protests by youths. To resolve the crisis, Nepal’s President Ramchandra Paudel and Army Chief Ashok Raj Sigdel held multiple rounds of discussions with representatives of the protesting youths. After consensus was reached yesterday, the President’s Office announced Sushila Karki as the new Prime Minister. It was stated that President Paudel, in order to uphold the constitution and foster national unity, exercised his constitutional power to appoint Karki as Prime Minister.

Later, around 9 p.m. local time, Karki was sworn in as Prime Minister at the President’s residence, Sheetal Niwas. President Paudel administered the oath. The event was attended by Nepal’s Vice President, Chief Justice, senior government officials, top security officials, and foreign diplomats.

At 73, Sushila Karki has become the first female Prime Minister of the Himalayan nation. She had earlier made history as the country’s first female Chief Justice, serving from July 2016 to June 2017. During her tenure, she gained recognition for her “zero tolerance” stance against corruption. It was for this very reason that protesting youths proposed her name as head of the interim government.

The organization Hami Nepal, which called for protests against Oli’s government last Tuesday, celebrated Karki’s swearing-in on Instagram, writing: “We made this happen.” They also called for unity among the people, adding, “Honor the lives of those who sacrificed themselves for this moment.”

Gen-Z protester Amrita Ban said after the oath: “This is a moment of victory… the power vacuum is finally over.”

Deepak Kafle, an official from the President’s Office, confirmed: “Sushila Karki has been appointed to lead an interim government.” This means Nepal will hold its next parliamentary elections in early March 2026.

At the oath-taking ceremony, Karki wore a red sari. Though she did not deliver a speech afterward, she appeared smiling, repeatedly joining her hands and bowing her head to the guests in traditional style.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, Karki studied law at Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, India. There she met Durga Prasad Subedi, whom she later married. Subedi was one of three people involved in hijacking a Nepalese plane on June 10, 1973. At that time, he was a young leader of the Nepali Congress party. The hijacking was carried out to raise funds for an “armed struggle” against King Mahendra. Their goal was to usher in multi-party democracy.

Oli’s Position
As per Oli’s government order, since September 4 midnight, 26 social media and messaging apps have been banned in Nepal due to failure to register on time. This sparked Tuesday’s protests.

Although the trigger was the social media ban, public discontent had many other reasons, including unemployment, corruption, the luxurious lifestyles of ruling elites’ children, and the lack of space for young people in politics.

Nepal, located between India and China, has faced political and economic instability since the monarchy was abolished in 2008. With a lack of jobs at home, millions of Nepalese work abroad and send remittances.

On Tuesday, protesters tried to storm parliament, leading to clashes with police. Tear gas, water cannons, and eventually live fire were used. Nineteen people were killed on the first day of clashes, forcing Oli to resign.

Even after his resignation, violence continued. In fact, the past few days have seen the deadliest violence since the end of the civil war and monarchy in 2008, with at least 51 people killed as of yesterday. Oli has since been moved to a secure location, though his whereabouts remain unknown.

Prison Break
Even after Oli’s resignation, protesters set fire to parliament and various buildings. The homes of ministers and leaders were attacked. Protesters looted weapons from police and security forces. Riots spread to prisons, leading to mass jailbreaks. According to authorities, around 13,500 inmates escaped from various prisons in recent days. Some have been recaptured, but 12,533 remain at large.

Nepal Police spokesperson Binod Ghimire confirmed that at least 51 people have been killed, including 21 protesters, 9 prisoners, 3 police officers, and 18 others (unspecified). Around 1,300 people have been injured.

To control the situation, the army took full security charge on Wednesday. Together with police, they began recovering stolen weapons. By yesterday, at least 268 firearms had been recovered, according to The Himalayan Times.

Today, life in Kathmandu has started returning to normal. Some shops reopened, and vehicles are back on the roads. Police officers are now carrying batons instead of guns, though some streets remain closed. Soldiers continue patrolling, but in smaller numbers than before.