As Nepal’s political crisis deepens, a new front has opened up within the protest movement itself. Scuffles were reported outside the Nepal Army headquarters in Kathmandu on Wednesday evening among different “Gen-Z” factions, each backing a different candidate to lead the interim government. The disagreements underscore the challenge of finding a consensus leader for the apathetic government, which was toppled by a largely leaderless anti-corruption revolt.
The post of Prime Minister has been vacant since KP Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday. In the days since, at least four prominent names have emerged as potential replacements. These include Kathmandu’s popular mayor and rapper Balendra Shah (“Balen”), former Chief Justice Sushila Karki, and former electricity board chief Kulman Ghising, who is revered for ending Nepal’s chronic power cuts. Harka Sampang Rai, the current mayor of Dharan, is also being considered, as is journalist-turned-politician Rabi Lamichhane.
While the “Gen Z” movement, which includes individuals born around the turn of the millennium, has made age a major criterion for leadership, the list of contenders shows a diversity of backgrounds and ages. The 35-year-old Balen and the 54-year-old Ghising are much younger than the country’s uprooted political veterans, most of whom are in their 70s. However, one of the leading candidates, Sushila Karki, is 73, though her popularity is rooted in her anti-Establishment stances and anti-corruption activism.
With no final decision in sight, representatives of the Gen-Z movement are holding talks with President Ram Chandra Paudel and the army chief. The President has appealed for calm, with his office reportedly signaling that the onus is on the protest representatives to “take the onus and decide” on a path forward. The continued lack of consensus among the protesters, however, is a new point of concern for a country already reeling from political chaos, violence that has claimed over 30 lives, and a rebuilding crisis.