The Nepali Army resumed talks on Thursday with “Gen Z” protesters to decide a new interim leader for the Himalayan nation after violent demonstrations left at least 30 dead and forced Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to resign.
Soldiers patrolled the quiet streets of Kathmandu after the worst unrest in years, the immediate trigger for which was a government ban on social media. Authorities rolled back the order after at least 19 people were killed when police used tear gas and rubber bullets to control crowds. The death toll has since risen to 30, with 1,033 injured, according to Nepal’s health ministry.
“Initial talks are on and would continue today,” army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet told Reuters, referring to discussions on selecting an interim leader. “We are trying to normalise the situation slowly.”
Prohibitory orders remain in force across Kathmandu Valley, though international flights at the capital’s airport are operating, an airport spokesman said.
The protests, led mostly by young people frustrated with corruption and lack of opportunities, have been dubbed the “Gen Z” movement.
Demonstrators have called for former chief justice of Nepal Sushila Karki to serve as interim prime minister. “When they requested me, I accepted,” Karki told CNN-News18.
Analysts warn the turmoil has pushed Nepal to a dangerous crossroads. The country’s constitution, promulgated in 2015 to establish a federal republic, now faces its sternest test.
“The constitutional track has been derailed, and there is a tilt towards finding a solution from an extra-constitutional framework,” Ramesh Parajuli, editor and senior researcher at Martin Chautari, a Kathmandu-based NGO, told PTI.
He outlined three possible paths: working within the constitution, making “slight deviations” such as forming an interim government before elections, or abandoning the charter altogether.
“To me, the first option doesn’t seem likely… Option two is more probable,” he said.
Senior journalist Namrata Sharma, vice president of the Nepal chapter of the South Asian Women in Media (SAWM), said the absence of a caretaker government raises questions about holding fresh elections.
“The Gen Z has insisted on proportional representation and structural changes. Without an interim government, the task cannot begin, and Nepal would continue to reel under uncertainty,” she told PTI.
Political analyst C.K. Lal drew parallels with the aftermath of the 2001 royal massacre, warning that the army might be tempted to run the country on its own.
“The worst possible scenario is of the army trying to run the country without reverting to the democratic setup. Any further continuation of this violent anarchy will provide the army with a watertight case of doing so,” Lal was quoted as saying by PTI.
He also questioned the exclusion of political parties from talks. “No one knows who the true leaders of this organisation are. I have doubts whether such a meeting can yield a stable solution without elected political party representatives participating in it,” Lal added.
Former Nepal ambassador to India Lok Raj Baral suggested the move might be a temporary tactic.
“Given the existing organisational set up of the political parties, I believe that excluding them for long would be difficult. What’s more likely is that the parties would return to governance once the dust has settled,” Baral said.
Sharma, however, defended the protesters’ position. “The whole point of the Gen Z movement was to alert the authorities of the sustained tyranny and corruption these leaders have engaged in. They want fresh faces with a clean track record to lead this country,” she said.
The agitation saw widespread arson and vandalism, with government buildings – including the Supreme Court and ministers’ residences – set ablaze. In Kathmandu and Pokhara, hotels, including the Hilton, were also torched.
