KATHMANDU- Nepal<\/p>\n
Days of youth-led protests against corruption and inequality have toppled Nepal\u2019s government, sweeping the country\u2019s first woman prime minister into office in a dramatic political shift in the Himalayan nation.<\/p>\n
Violence erupted on Sept. 8 after police opened fire on demonstrators trying to storm parliament in Kathmandu, killing more than 70 people and wounding thousands, police spokesperson Ramesh Thapa said. Protesters torched government buildings and banks, targeting the homes of senior politicians.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli resigned a day later and has not been seen publicly since. A nationwide curfew was imposed by the army but failed to quell unrest.<\/p>\n
On Sept. 12, President Ram Chandra Paudel appointed 73-year-old Sushila Karki, a former Supreme Court chief justice known for her anti-graft rulings, as interim prime minister. Her appointment followed an unusual groundswell of support on online platforms, including Discord channels where thousands of young Nepalis backed her candidacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were motivated by unemployment and corruption,\u201d said Abhiyan Sapkota, a 27-year-old protester. \u201cThe old leaders only looked after themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
For months, activists had used hashtags such as #NepoKids to highlight the lavish lifestyles of politicians\u2019 children abroad, contrasting them with an economy where the average annual income is less than $1,500. Anger intensified after the government restricted social media on Sept. 4, a move critics said was aimed at silencing dissent.<\/p>\n
The uprising has drawn comparisons to youth-led movements in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. \u201cThe protests reveal a generational demand for accountability and a rejection of entrenched elites,\u201d said Ashish Pradhan, South Asia expert at the International Crisis Group.<\/p>\n
Nepal has had more than a dozen coalition governments in two decades, with leadership rotating among a small circle of ageing male politicians. Analysts say the challenge now will be whether Karki can stabilize the country until elections, expected early next year, without falling into the cycle of short-lived governments.<\/p>\n
Despite the bloodshed, many young Nepalis celebrated Karki\u2019s swearing-in with vigils and street clean-ups once the curfew was eased. \u201cPM Sushila Karki\u2026 SLAYYY \ud83d\udc85\ud83c\udffc,\u201d read a post on popular Instagram account Genz.Nepal.<\/p>\n
Nepal\u2019s politics have long been shaped by street uprisings, from the abolition of monarchy in 2008 to repeated constitutional changes. Political analyst Chandradev Bhatta cautioned: \u201cIf history is any guide, this change may not be the last. But for now, it is a generational reckoning.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KATHMANDU- Nepal Days of youth-led protests against corruption and inequality have toppled Nepal\u2019s government, sweeping the country\u2019s first woman prime minister into office in a dramatic political shift in the Himalayan nation. Violence erupted on Sept. 8 after police opened fire on demonstrators trying to storm parliament in Kathmandu, killing more than 70 people and …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":50165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[81],"class_list":["post-50164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-south-asia","tag-headline"],"yoast_head":"\n