Nepal’s first female prime minister took the oath of office on Friday. This was just temporary, as calm has returned to the country after large protests that led to the fall of the last government. Authorities lifted a curfew that had been in place in the capital and nearby areas earlier in the week on Saturday.
President Ram Chandra Poudel named Sushila Karki, the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, as the interim prime minister. She is the first woman to lead the government of the Himalayan country.
Based on the new prime minister’s advice, Poudel also established 5 March as the date for the elections. There were parliamentary elections in 2022.
Karki, who was well-known for her opposition to government corruption at the time, was the only female chief justice in 2016 and 2017. Some lawmakers moved to impeach her in 2017, but they were unsuccessful because of claims of prejudice. People said that the attempt to impeach was an attack on the courts.
Karki went to the Civil Hospital in the capital on her first day to see injured demonstrators. She promised to do what was best for the country, saying, “I will work with everything I have.”
On Saturday, September 13, 2025, Nepal’s temporary prime minister Sushila Karki talks to someone who was hurt during anti-corruption rallies at Civil Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal. Niranjan Shrestha, 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.
On Saturday, September 13, 2025, Nepal’s temporary prime minister Sushila Karki talks to someone who was hurt during anti-corruption rallies at Civil Hospital in Kathmandu. Niranjan Shrestha, 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.
On Monday, street protests in the capital city of Kathmandu, Nepal, were called the “Gen Z protest.” Nepal’s youth were fed up with the government after it banned social media the week before. They had a lot of complaints about it, especially about corruption, unemployment, and their anger with the country’s political class.
A lot of young people were also angry about the rich lives that political leaders and their offspring, whom they label “nepo kids,” seem to enjoy and show off on social media, while most young people have a hard time finding jobs.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators stopped roads, broke into government offices, and set fire to government structures, including the parliament, leaders’ homes, and companies.
People from Maitry who volunteer Nepalese police clean up a police station that was damaged during protests against corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Saturday, September 13, 2025. Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo
Violence last week also killed 51 people, many of whom were protestors who were shot by police. Others were prisoners who had overpowered police guards and set fire to buildings housing cells and guard houses in an attempt to escape from the main jail in central Kathmandu. According to officials, three police officers also died.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli quit and ran away from his official home. It was the beginning of talks between the army, the president, and the demonstrators over a temporary administration.
On Saturday, Nepalese officials lifted the curfew that the military had enforced late Tuesday. It had only allowed locals to leave their houses for a few hours each day to acquire necessities.
People in Nepal have mostly gone back to their normal everyday lives, as footage shared on social media show demonstrators cleaning up the streets after days of disturbance.
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