Sunday, 14 September, 2025
Nepal plunged into a new political chapter on Friday night as President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved parliament and called fresh elections for March 5, 2026, following one of the deadliest waves of unrest in the country’s recent history.
The announcement came just hours after Paudel appointed former chief justice Sushila Karki as interim prime minister — the first woman ever to hold the position — in a move aimed at restoring calm after a week of “Gen Z”-led protests that toppled Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and left at least 51 people dead and over 1,300 injured.
According to the president’s office, the decision followed intense negotiations between Paudel, army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel, and protest leaders who had spearheaded Nepal’s largest youth uprising in years.
What began as a youth-led online campaign against the lavish lifestyles of “Nepo Kids” — children of Nepal’s political elite flaunting wealth on social media — quickly snowballed into a nationwide revolt. Anger over years of corruption, unemployment, and economic stagnation boiled over when the government banned over two dozen social media platforms last week, cutting off a lifeline for young Nepalis who rely on these platforms to stay connected with family abroad.
By Monday, tens of thousands of protesters, many still in school uniforms, gathered at Maitighar Mandala in Kathmandu. The initially peaceful protest spiraled into violent confrontations after demonstrators breached police barricades near parliament. Security forces responded with tear gas, water cannons, and live ammunition, leaving 19 dead that day alone.
Within 48 hours, parliament and the Supreme Court were set ablaze, the airport was shut down, and the historic Singha Durbar government complex was overrun by demonstrators waving the Nepali flag in scenes reminiscent of the 1990s People’s Movement and last year’s student-led uprising in Bangladesh.
The unrest underscores a long-simmering crisis: a generation losing faith in Nepal’s post-monarchy democratic experiment. Youth unemployment stands at over 20%, forcing millions to migrate abroad for work. Remittances now account for more than one-third of Nepal’s GDP, highlighting both the country’s dependence on its diaspora and its failure to create jobs at home.
“Social media is the only space where we can speak freely and stay connected,” said Pramin, a Kathmandu-based filmmaker. “When the government banned it, it felt like they wanted to silence us completely.”
For many, the protests were about more than just corruption or inequality — they were about being seen and heard in a system dominated by older politicians.
Prime Minister Oli’s resignation on Tuesday marked a symbolic victory for protesters, but it also created a dangerous power vacuum. The army has called for restraint, and Karki’s appointment has been cautiously welcomed, though constitutional hurdles remain over her role in a caretaker government.
Some demonstrators are optimistic. “I think Nepal is ready to see young faces along with experienced ones,” said lawyer Sahadev Khatry. Others are fearful of retaliation against those who participated in the protests.
For now, Kathmandu is quiet but tense — streets still littered with debris, soldiers enforcing a strict curfew, and many wondering whether the upcoming elections will deliver real change or simply reshuffle the same political elite.
Nepal’s Gen Z has forced the country to confront its political stagnation. The question is whether March’s elections will turn that anger into meaningful reform — or whether frustration will boil over again.
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Nepal plunged into a new political chapter on Friday night as President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved parliament and called fresh elections for March 5, 2026, following one of the deadliest waves of unrest in the country’s recent history.
The announcement came just hours after Paudel appointed former chief justice Sushila Karki as interim prime minister — the first woman ever to hold the position — in a move aimed at restoring calm after a week of “Gen Z”-led protests that toppled Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and left at least 51 people dead and over 1,300 injured.
According to the president’s office, the decision followed intense negotiations between Paudel, army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel, and protest leaders who had spearheaded Nepal’s largest youth uprising in years.
What began as a youth-led online campaign against the lavish lifestyles of “Nepo Kids” — children of Nepal’s political elite flaunting wealth on social media — quickly snowballed into a nationwide revolt. Anger over years of corruption, unemployment, and economic stagnation boiled over when the government banned over two dozen social media platforms last week, cutting off a lifeline for young Nepalis who rely on these platforms to stay connected with family abroad.
By Monday, tens of thousands of protesters, many still in school uniforms, gathered at Maitighar Mandala in Kathmandu. The initially peaceful protest spiraled into violent confrontations after demonstrators breached police barricades near parliament. Security forces responded with tear gas, water cannons, and live ammunition, leaving 19 dead that day alone.
Within 48 hours, parliament and the Supreme Court were set ablaze, the airport was shut down, and the historic Singha Durbar government complex was overrun by demonstrators waving the Nepali flag in scenes reminiscent of the 1990s People’s Movement and last year’s student-led uprising in Bangladesh.
The unrest underscores a long-simmering crisis: a generation losing faith in Nepal’s post-monarchy democratic experiment. Youth unemployment stands at over 20%, forcing millions to migrate abroad for work. Remittances now account for more than one-third of Nepal’s GDP, highlighting both the country’s dependence on its diaspora and its failure to create jobs at home.
“Social media is the only space where we can speak freely and stay connected,” said Pramin, a Kathmandu-based filmmaker. “When the government banned it, it felt like they wanted to silence us completely.”
For many, the protests were about more than just corruption or inequality — they were about being seen and heard in a system dominated by older politicians.
Prime Minister Oli’s resignation on Tuesday marked a symbolic victory for protesters, but it also created a dangerous power vacuum. The army has called for restraint, and Karki’s appointment has been cautiously welcomed, though constitutional hurdles remain over her role in a caretaker government.
Some demonstrators are optimistic. “I think Nepal is ready to see young faces along with experienced ones,” said lawyer Sahadev Khatry. Others are fearful of retaliation against those who participated in the protests.
For now, Kathmandu is quiet but tense — streets still littered with debris, soldiers enforcing a strict curfew, and many wondering whether the upcoming elections will deliver real change or simply reshuffle the same political elite.
Nepal’s Gen Z has forced the country to confront its political stagnation. The question is whether March’s elections will turn that anger into meaningful reform — or whether frustration will boil over again.
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