Kathmandu- Hours after appointing Mrs Sushila Karki as Prime Minister, Nepal’s President Ram Chandra Paudel has dissolved the parliament and called for midterm elections on 5^th March, 2026 upon her recommendation.

Mrs  Karki was appointed as Prime Minister after Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli resigned from his post following nationwide protests called by  a group of young people, popularly known as Gen Z.

Karki, 73, is the first female Chief Justice of Nepal. She has also become the first woman Prime Minister in the country’s history.

She served as Chief Justice for less than a year during 2016-17 and was retired due to her age. She is  known for her stand against corruption in the government while in and out of office. 

The Gen Z group had called peaceful protests in Kathmandu on Monday (8^th September) against the government’s decision to ban social media and calling for an end to corruption in the country. At least 19 young protesters were killed when police opened fire to stop them from entering into the Parliament premises at New Baneswore in Kathmandu.

The next day, as security forces retreated, unruly gangs set fire on the country’s Supreme Court, Singh Durbar where many Ministries are located and the parliamentary building itself. President Poudel was moved to safety after part of the presidential palace was also damaged due to arson.

Angry crowds as well as criminals targeted houses of political leaders, government offices, business establishments, hotels  and some media houses across the country during the mayhem. Over 13,000 inmates fled from prisons all over the country. There are, however, no reporters of any foreigners or tourists harmed during the protests.

Authorities said nearly 2,000 of them have now returned back to prisons.

Latest reports say at least 51 people, including policemen, have died over the last four days. Loss of property is estimated to be worth millions of dollars.

Capital Kathmandu and other urban areas are still under curfew though international flights have resumed.

Some major political parties including CPN (UML) and CPN (Maoist) have criticised the President’s decision to dissolve the Parliament.

 Analysts say it will be difficult, if not impossible, for Prime Minister Karki to hold elections within six months as she is yet to appoint members in her cabinet. 

The dramatic political changes in Nepal, however, have proved the power of youth and social media in bringing about political changes within a matter of days.