KEY POINTS:
- Gen Z-led protests forced resignation of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli on September 9, 2025, according to NPR on September 20
- Former Chief Justice Sushila Karki sworn in as Nepal’s first female prime minister on September 12, 2025, Al Jazeera reported on September 17
- At least 72 people died and over 2,100 injured in the protests, PBS News reported on September 15
Youth-Led Uprising Transforms Nepal’s Political Landscape
Nepal experienced its most dramatic political upheaval in years when Gen Z-led anti-corruption protests forced the overthrow of the government in less than 48 hours, NPR reported on September 20, 2025. The turmoil began on September 8 when police in Kathmandu opened fire on anti-corruption protesters attempting to breach Parliament walls, according to NPR.
“Mobs retaliated by torching buildings, looting banks and shops, and attacking politicians in their homes,” NPR reported on September 20. The violence killed more than 70 people and wounded thousands more, according to Nepal police spokesperson Ramesh Thapa, as cited by NPR.
Social Media Ban Triggers Nationwide Protests
The protests were initially sparked by a government-imposed ban on social media platforms. Wikipedia reported that on September 4, 2025, the Government of Nepal ordered the shutdown of 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, X, YouTube, LinkedIn, Reddit, Signal, and Snapchat, for failing to register under the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology’s new rules.
“While the main trigger for the protest was the recent social media ban, the long history of corruption and bad governance is the main reason that thousands of people have come out on the streets to protest,” CNN quoted a 28-year-old protester on September 9, who requested anonymity out of fear of government retribution.
“Nepo Kids” Movement Exposes Wealth Disparity
Time reported on September 9 that the social media ban coincided with a growing online movement calling out Nepali “nepo kids” – politicians’ children showing off their lavish lifestyles. Young Nepalis had been highlighting the contrast between the country’s masses and wealthy elites, NPR reported on September 20, “pulling together montages of social media images and videos uploaded by the children of prominent politicians.”
NPR cited an example of “one image showed a young woman posing with a Prada bag worth $2,600, in a country where the average yearly income in Nepal is less than $1,500 a year.”
Violent Escalation and Government Collapse
On September 8, the protests turned violent when security forces responded with tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets, and live ammunition as protesters attempted to enter the Federal Parliament, Wikipedia reported. CNN reported on September 9 that police used live ammunition against protesters, with at least 22 people killed after two days of demonstrations.
Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli resigned on September 9 “and has not been seen publicly since,” according to NPR on September 20. The army imposed a curfew following his resignation.
Discord Vote Selects New Leader
In an unprecedented move, protesters used the messaging app Discord to select their preferred interim leader. CNN reported on September 12 that “protesters signaled their support for Karki through an informal vote on the messaging app Discord.” Al Jazeera reported on September 15 that about 10,000 Nepalis, including many from the diaspora, participated in the Discord discussion to choose Nepal’s interim prime minister.
By September 12, the country had appointed Sushila Karki as interim prime minister. “The 73-year-old was Nepal’s first female chief justice — and is now its first female prime minister,” NPR reported on September 20. Her appointment followed online polls on Discord where thousands supported her, citing her judicial record of taking on the corrupt and elite, according to NPR.
Karki’s Background and Reputation
Al Jazeera reported on September 17 that Karki was born in June 1952 in what is now Nepal’s eastern city of Biratnagar. She earned her law degree from Tribhuvan University in 1978 and became the first female chief justice of Nepal in 2016, according to Al Jazeera.
“In May 2017, the government tried to suspend her as members of parliament signed an impeachment motion against her after the court, under her leadership, overturned their appointment of Jaya Bahadur Chand as police chief,” Al Jazeera reported on September 17. The United Nations labeled the impeachment effort as “politically motivated,” and it was eventually dropped, Al Jazeera stated.
“Gen Z protesters rallied behind septuagenarian Sushila Karki because, even in her earlier statements to the press, her image as Nepal’s first woman chief justice symbolised integrity and resistance against corruption,” Al Jazeera quoted Yog Raj Lamichhane, an assistant professor at Pokhara University, on September 17.
First Actions as Prime Minister
PBS News reported on September 15 that Karki took office on Sunday, September 14, and “urged calm and cooperation to rebuild” the nation. She announced that each family of slain protesters would receive monetary compensation of 1 million rupees (about $11,330), according to state TV as reported by PBS.
“We all need to get together to rebuild the country,” PBS quoted Karki as saying on September 14.
Al Jazeera reported on September 15 that Karki appointed three new ministers on Monday: Om Prakash Aryal as home minister, Rameshwar Prasad Khanal as finance minister, and Kulman Ghising as energy minister. “Known for their anticorruption stances, they will serve alongside Karki in an interim government that has promised to work towards ending corruption,” Al Jazeera stated.
Commitment to Youth Demands
“We have to work according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation,” Al Jazeera quoted Karki as saying on September 14. She acknowledged the youth’s demands for the end of corruption, good governance and economic equality, according to Al Jazeera.
“We will not stay here more than six months in any situation. We will complete our responsibilities and pledge to hand over to the next parliament and ministers,” Al Jazeera reported Karki said on September 14.
Context: Economic Frustrations Drive Youth Anger
The protests reflected deeper economic frustrations among Nepal’s youth. CNN reported on September 9 that “the unemployment rate for youth aged 15-24 in Nepal was 20.8% in 2024, according to the World Bank.”
CNN also noted that “Nepal’s economy is heavily reliant on money sent home by Nepalis living abroad. More than a third (33.1%) of Nepal’s GDP came from personal remittances, according to the World Bank.”
“Our movement was motivated by two things,” NPR quoted Abhiyan Sapkota, a 27-year-old civil engineer who participated in the protests, “unemployment and government corruption.”
Regional Context and Analysis
NPR quoted Ashish Pradhan, an expert on Nepal at the International Crisis Group, on September 20: “Over the last 10 years, all three individuals who have traded the prime minister’s chair have had pretty serious corruption allegations against them.”
The uprising occurred amid revolutionary fervor across South Asia, NPR reported. Pradhan told NPR there were “common threads between what we’ve seen in Nepal in the last week and what we seen in recent years in South Asian other countries, like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.”
Looking Ahead: Elections Set for March
President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved parliament on September 12 on Karki’s recommendation, CNN reported. New elections have been scheduled for March 5, 2026, according to CNN.
Al Jazeera quoted Nishchal Pandey, director of the Centre for South Asian Studies, on September 17 as saying Karki had “immense power” as the protesters’ choice but would face challenges including restoring law and order and boosting confidence in the private sector after the vandalism.
Political analyst Chandradev Bhatta told NPR on September 20 that Nepal has a long history of regime-change through street protests: “If it was happening for the first time, I wouldn’t have minded because we needed the change. But we’ve written seven constitutions in more than 70 years.”
