VT Staff | Kathmandu: President Ram Chandra Poudel on Friday appointed former Chief Justice Sushila Karki to lead Nepal’s interim government amid days of Gen-Z–led unrest. Karki, 73, becomes the first woman to head a Nepali government. The president’s office said she would be sworn in tonight at Sheetal Niwas.
In accordance with Gen-Z demands, President Paudel has appointed Karki to lead as Prime Minister of the interim Council of Ministers.
Karki, Nepal’s only female chief justice (2016–2017), is widely seen as an anti-corruption figure. Her selection has been backed by youth protest leaders who pressed for a non-partisan interim government and snap polls.
The president’s decision to appoint Karki follows a week of violent protests and a political vacuum after Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned. National and international outlets have reported at least 34 deaths and more than 1,300 injuries during clashes that began after a short-lived social-media ban and widened into broader anti-corruption demands.
How the President Appointed Sushila Karki as PM:
To make Karki Prime Minister, the President has invoked Article 61 of the Constitution. The President has specifically relied on sub-article 4 of that article, which states that the President shall promote national unity of Nepal. It also states that “compliance with and protection of the Constitution shall be the primary duty of the President.” Similarly, sub-article 3 states that the President shall promote national unity of Nepal. Based on these two provisions, Karki has been made head of the Council of Ministers.
The first cabinet meeting is expected immediately after the oath to set an election timetable and formalize transitional steps. Security deployments remain heavy in Kathmandu as authorities move to stabilize key sites damaged during the unrest.
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