Nepal made history on September 12 as Sushila Karki, the country’s former chief justice, was sworn in as its first female prime minister. Her appointment comes in the wake of a week of deadly unrest that rocked the Himalayan nation.
Karki was chosen as Nepal’s interim leader by Gen Z demonstrators who had successfully forced out Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. She gained the highest backing in an online Discord poll.
The oath of office was administered on the evening of September 12 by President Ramchandra Paudel at Sheetal Niwas, the presidential office, while a crowd of supporters and onlookers gathered outside, both celebratory and anxious about the challenges ahead.
Karki, 73, is now responsible for forming a caretaker cabinet and preparing national elections within six months. Popular reform-minded figures, including constitutional lawyer Om Prakash Aryal and ex-energy chief Kulman Ghising, are expected to take up key ministerial portfolios in her administration.
Admired for her integrity and austere lifestyle, Karki began her career as a young law lecturer in Dharan before climbing through the legal ranks to become Nepal’s first woman chief justice in 2016. On the bench she built a reputation for standing firm against political interference and delivering bold verdicts in corruption cases.
Karki’s oath-taking ceremony followed one of the bloodiest weeks since Nepal abolished its monarchy in 2008. What began as peaceful rallies by students and young professionals escalated into a nationwide revolt against corruption, widening inequality, and the dominance of aging political leaders and their privileged “nepo kids.”
The administration’s decision on September 4 to temporarily block 26 social media platforms fueled public anger, sparking the anti-corruption demonstrations that escalated into clashes with police. Initial reports claimed 19 people had been killed in the first day. These protests had been brewing for months, driven by stalled reforms and the widespread perception that politics in Kathmandu served only the well-connected elite.
In just two days – during the September 8 protests and the subsequent events on September 9 – the government led by Oli’s Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) and the Nepali Congress, previously considered a strong majority, was shaken, exposing cracks in the entire system. On September 9 mobs torched ministries, parliament, and parts of the presidential compound, while homes of senior politicians were ransacked. By midweek more than 50 people were dead and over 1,000 injured.
Curfews now cover much of the country, and the army has warned it will act against further violence.
The turmoil is rooted in years of political drift. Since the monarchy’s end in 2008, Nepal has cycled through 13 governments. After the adoption of the 2015 constitution, three men – K.P. Sharma Oli, Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka “Prachanda,” and Sher Bahadur Deuba – have repeatedly traded the premiership, even agreeing last year to share it until 2027. As Oli’s coalition marked its first year in office, frustration over corruption, bureaucracy, and unmet promises boiled over, giving rise to a movement led by Gen Z activists who used both social media and the streets to demand change.
Kathmandu’s young mayor, Balendra Shah (Balen), a prominent voice for young Nepalis, took to Facebook shortly after the oath-taking ceremony of Karki. “Dear Gen Z, the country has been transformed by your contribution and sacrifice,” he wrote. Expressing respect for the young activists, Shah paid heartfelt tribute to the martyrs and offered hopes for a speedy recovery to those injured, while urging unity as Nepal embarks on a fragile transition.
For many, Karki embodies a bridge between a disillusioned generation and an exhausted establishment. She is a figure whose credibility and calm may offer Nepal a chance to chart a new course.