Protesters in Nepal propose former chief justice as interim leader
The Nepalese army was deployed in Kathmandu on Wednesday after two days of violent protests toppled the government and left several dead.
Soldiers ordered residents to remain indoors as demonstrators set buildings ablaze in the capital, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Representatives of the protesters met with military officials at the army headquarters in Kathmandu to discuss a transitional leader, with some of them pushing for Sushila Karki, a popular former chief justice.
The demonstrations by thousands of protesters were sparked Monday by a short-lived government ban on social media, drawing a police crackdown in which officers opened fire. The protests escalated Tuesday with attacks on government buildings. The overall death toll in the violence has reached 25, the Health Ministry said Wednesday, with 633 people injured.
The protests prompted Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli to resign Tuesday, and the country's ceremonial President Ram Chandra Poudel asked him to lead a transitional government until a new one can be put in place. But Oli fled from his official residence, and his whereabouts were not clear.
Rehan Raj Dangal, a representative of the protesters, said his group has proposed to military leaders that Karki head an interim government. Karki, the only woman to serve as chief justice of Nepal's Supreme Court, was a popular figure when she served in the post in 2016 and 2017.
However, other protesters from among the crowd who had gathered outside the army headquarters opposed the choice of Karki.
Armed troops guarded the main areas of Kathmandu, restoring some order after the violence and chaos of the previous days. Soldiers checked vehicles and people and told residents to stay in their homes.
The military is rarely mobilized in Nepal, and soldiers initially stayed in their barracks as police failed to control the protesters and the situation spun out of control. Late Tuesday, the security forces started to mobilize, saying they were committed to preserving law and order.
On Wednesday, soldiers quelled a jailbreak in the heart of Kathmandu. Inmates at the main jail had overpowered guards, set fire to buildings and tried to escape. Soldiers fired into the air, apprehended the escaping inmates and transferred them to other jails. No injuries were reported.
The demonstrations — dubbed the protest of Gen Z — began after the government blocked social media platforms, including Facebook, X and YouTube, saying those companies had failed to register and submit to government oversight.
The social media ban was lifted on Tuesday, but the protests continued , fueled by rage over 19 deaths of protesters blamed on police and despite government vows to investigate the deaths.
The protests spiraled to reflect broader discontent. Many young people are angry that the children of political leaders — so-called nepo kids — seem to enjoy luxury lifestyles and numerous advantages while most youth struggle to find work.
With youth unemployment running at about 20% last year, according to the World Bank, the government estimates that more than 2,000 young people leave the country every day to seek work in the Middle East or Southeast Asia.
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