Former chief justice Karki, Kathmandu mayor under consideration for interim govt chief in Nepal

Kathmandu: Nepal’s former chief justice Sushila Karki, Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah and former electricity board Kulman Ghising are among the names under consideration by the protesting Gen Z group to lead an interim government in Nepal, source said on Wednesday.

The development comes a day after Nepal plunged into a serious political crisis as Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday in the face of massive students-led protests for a second day, prompting the Nepal Army to take over the law and order situation followed by nationwide restrictive orders and a curfew on Wednesday.

“The Gen Z group is currently holding discussion on Zoom to finalise the name of the person to lead the interim government. Three names are under consideration for the post of Interim Prime Minister,” according to the sources close to Gen Z group.

“The group is considering Sushila Karki, former Chief Justice; Balendra Shah, Mayor of Kathmandu, and Kulman Ghising, former CEO of Nepal Electricity Board. However, so far, no decision has been finalised,” sources said.

There is no government in place in the country for the past 24 hours or more since Oli resigned.

The students-led Gen Z protests that began against a government ban on social media expanded into a larger campaign reflecting growing public criticism of the Oli dispensation and the country's political elite over alleged corruption and apathy towards the common people.