KATHMANDU: Nepal's President Ramchandra Paudel has dissolved parliament and called for fresh elections on March 5 following a week of deadly violence that culminated in the appointment of the country's first woman prime minister. The statement from Paudel's office came just hours after he announced former Chief Justice Sushila Karki would lead the country on an interim basis following the deadly "Gen Z"-led anti-graft protests that forced former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign. According to the statement, the president has "dissolved the House of Representatives" and fixed March 5 next year for the elections. Karki was appointed after two days of intense negotiations between Paudel, army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel and the protest leaders behind Nepal's worst upheaval in years, in which at least 51 people were killed and more than 1,300 injured.
Nepal's southern neighbour, India, said it hoped that the developments would help foster peace and stability. "Heartfelt congratulations to the Honorable Sushila Karki Ji on assuming the office of Prime Minister of Nepal's interim government. India is fully committed to the peace, progress and prosperity of Nepal's brothers and sisters," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X.
The country-wide protests were sparked by a social media ban that has since been rolled back. The violence subsided only after Oli resigned on Tuesday. Nepal has grappled with political and economic instability since the abolition of its monarchy in 2008, while a lack of jobs has driven millions of young people to seek work in other countries like the Middle East, South Korea and Malaysia. By Saturday, normality was returning in the country of 30 million people tucked between China and India, with most parts of the capital Kathmandu seeing shops reopening and vehicles returning to the streets after some prohibitory orders in force since Tuesday were suspended.
Relatives of the deceased gathered outside the Prime Minister's official residence in Kathmandu, demanding martyr status for those killed - which confers recognition that they died in the service of their country - and compensation. Some refused to take the bodies of their relatives from the morgue until their demands were met. "My brother should be declared a martyr as he died for the country, and the government should give compensation to my parents," said Sumitra Mahat, sister of 21-year-old Umesh Mahat, who was killed during the protest. She, along with other family members, stood in front of the Prime Minister's official residence with a banner displaying pictures of some of those who died. Most said their relatives had been shot.
Gen Z protester Manjita Manandhar said she had "mixed emotions” over Karki's appointment, which came after the death of so many young people during the unrest. "But we did it!!!! For them! For New Nepal! The journey has just begun. We all Nepalis have to stay strong and put our best foot forward to make Nepal the best in the world. This is just the beginning,” she said. The only woman to have served as chief justice, Karki was the preferred choice of the protesters who cite her reputation for honesty and integrity and her stance against corruption. She held the top judicial post for about a year until mid-2017.
Bipin Adhikari, a constitutional expert and analyst, said Karki’s first challenge was to investigate the violence and destruction of public property during the protest and bring those responsible to justice. "She must provide good governance, control corruption, maintain law and order, assure the people about the security conditions and make policing strong,” he said, adding that all these were major challenges. — Reuters
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