is yet to find a new leader after days of led to the resignation of Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli earlier this week.
The unrest, which saw demonstrators torching even parliament, government and presidential offices, has plunged the impoverished South Asian nation into fresh turmoil.
, with many Nepalis now wondering who is in charge of the country.
Military takes control
The military has been patrolling the streets and enforcing a curfew.
Nepal’s President Ramchandra Poudel and army chief, General Ashok Raj Sigdel, have held talks with representatives from the so-called “Gen Z,” the loose umbrella title of the youth protest movement.
The Gen Z’s key demands include democratic reforms, good governance and an independent probe into corruption among political leaders, among other things.
“The Chief of Army Staff, General Ashok Raj Sigdel, held rounds of dialogue with Gen Z representatives and other stakeholders to help identify a new leader who could carry the movement’s spirit and manage the transition smoothly as instructed by the President,” Binoj Basnyat, a retired major general of the Nepali Army, told DW.
Poudel’s office released a statement saying the president is actively “engaged in thoughts, discussions and every possible effort” to find a solution to the current political crisis.
Poudel, the ceremonial head of state, is reportedly considering appointing 73-year-old Sushila Karki, a former chief justice, as interim prime minister until fresh elections could be held.
Will there be a smooth transition and reforms?
Balananda Sharma, a retired lieutenant general who helped integrate former Maoist rebels into the national army, said that the new leader will have to spearhead the transition with the military’s support and reflecting the true sentiments of the Gen Z movement.
“The new leadership should be able to win the confidence of the army to maintain fragile law and order,” he told DW, adding that it should also “resist undue pressures” that could undermine democratic governance.
Major political parties represented in parliament — the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML led by ex-PM Oli, and the main opposition CPN (Maoist Center) — have said they will support the new leadership.
“You have launched a movement for major transformation, and I believe you will succeed in achieving it,” said Gagan Thapa, a general secretary of the Nepali Congress, in a video message on Thursday addressing the youth protesters.
Gen Z representatives, meanwhile, are consulting technocrats, professionals, and non-political figures on governance reforms, but it’s unclear how much their views will shape the outcome.
Furthermore, sharp disagreements between rival political factions remain.
Tricky job of finding an interim leader
Driven by young people aged 18 to 30, the mass protests were largely leaderless, complicating efforts to find a consensus candidate to lead the interim administration.
Many protesters pushed for Balendra Shah, 35, a hip-hop artist-turned-mayor of Kathmandu city, to lead the interim government.
Shah declined and instead endorsed the former chief justice, Karki, for the role.
Sudan Surung, seen as one of the prominent figures of the youth protests, warned in a video posted on social media of a fresh wave of demonstrations if Karki was not appointed interim leader and their demands were ignored.
Nevertheless, her appointment could face a constitutional hurdle.
Nepal’s 2015 constitution generally bars former justices from assuming executive roles and states that a prime minister should be named from among members of parliament.
But there could be a workaround. Lalit Bahadur Basnet, a prominent lawyer, was among the constitutional experts that met the president on Thursday to discuss the appointment of an interim leader.
He told DW that ex-Chief Justice Karki’s name was considered on the basis of the “doctrine of necessity” — a legal principle that permits actions normally considered unlawful when taken in emergency situations where no reasonable alternatives exist.
Nepal’s worst upheaval in years
The latest unrest in Nepal began after the , including Facebook, X, YouTube, LinkedIn and WhatsApp, last week.
The violence marked the worst upheaval Nepal faced in years,
“Many elements with different political interests, including the pro-monarchist forces, infiltrated the protesters and made the protests more destructive,” a senior security official, who asked not to be named, told DW.
There were also mass jailbreaks. Security forces are still scrambling to recapture some 12,500 inmates — including individuals charged with serious crimes such as abduction, murder and rape — out of the some 13,500 who escaped during the chaos, raising concerns about public safety.
Delivering good governance key to prevent further unrest
Analysts say the protests were not just about the social media ban, but that they also reflect growing frustration and discontent over misgovernance, economic hardship and corruption.
Basnet said the new administration must make fighting graft and delivering good governance a national priority to avoid the eruption of such deadly protests in future.
“The national priority is the eradication of corruption, amendments to the constitution, and the formation of a commission to investigate the misuse of authority in handling the recent protests,” he said.
“What is required is not just change, but a political-security shift as an approach to ensure political stability and effective, efficient governance.”
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru
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