KATHMANDU, NEPAL — Nepal is in a political mess right now because previous Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli stepped down. The move, which occurred during a new round of violent protests that left at least 30 people dead and more than 1,000 wounded, has left a political void. As the country deals with the aftermath, a group of Gen-Z protesters without a leader is now talking with President Ram Chandra Paudel and Army Chief Ashok Raj Sigdel over who should be the next prime minister.
On Tuesday, the riots got worse when protesters set fire to government and private facilities, such as the Parliament and the Supreme Court. The homes of certain politicians and ministers were also set on fire, showing how angry the people is with the country’s political leaders.
Because the anti-corruption uprising doesn’t have a single leader, four well-known people have stepped up to be the next prime minister. These people all have a history of serving the public and are known for being honest. This fits with what the protesters want, which is an end to corruption and political favoritism.
The Four Leaders:
Balendra Shah, the current mayor of Kathmandu, was a rapper known as “Balen” before he became a politician. He is now a symbol of the political hopes of the new generation. Shah, who ran as an independent, won the mayoral election in 2022. He has degrees in civil and structural engineering and has been a strong supporter of the Gen-Z protesters. Many people consider him as a “voice of a new generation.”
Sushila Karki: Sushila Karki is the first and only woman to hold the position of Chief Justice of Nepal. She has also been mentioned as a possible candidate. Her name was put forth after demonstrators spoke with the Supreme Court Bar Association. Karki was Chief Justice from 2016 to 2017 and is noted for her important decisions, including as one that let mothers pass on their citizenship rights to their children. People respect her a lot since she is strongly against corruption.
Kulman Ghising: Kulman Ghising, the former head of the Nepal Electricity Authority, is well-known as a technocrat who put an end to years of power outages, or “load-shedding,” in Nepal. Ghising is an electrical engineer by training. He is credited with making the Nepal Electricity Authority profitable and bringing power back to cities 24 hours a day. The Oli government’s recent firing of him from his job garnered a lot of public outrage.
Harka Raj Sampang Rai, also called Harka Sampang, is the independent mayor of Dharan and is also in the running. Sampang is popular because he is down-to-earth and doesn’t accept special treatment for VIPs. He was a migrant worker who went back to his hometown and became well-known through grassroots social activity that acquired popularity on social media, which led to his election as mayor in 2022.
There is still no definitive conclusion after talks between the protesters, the president, and the army chief. Reports say that the protesters don’t all agree, and that various groups support different candidates. The main goal of the current talks is to choose a temporary leader who will hold new elections within a particular amount of time to help the country get through this time of political uncertainty.