Kathmandu, Nepal – Nepal’s former chief justice, Sushila Karki, is set to become the country’s interim prime minister after days of violent anti-corruption protests forced the resignation of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, a source involved in the negotiations told Reuters on Friday.
The unrest, described as the Himalayan nation’s worst political upheaval in years, has left 51 people dead and more than 1,300 injured this week. Protests were initially triggered by a controversial social media ban, which has since been rolled back, but escalated into a nationwide movement against corruption and governance failures.
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“Her appointment will be made today,” said a constitutional expert who has been advising President Ramchandra Paudel and army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel. “Gen Z protesters want her, and their demand is clear.” The source requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the talks.
At 73, Karki is Nepal’s first and only female chief justice, widely respected for her integrity and uncompromising stance against graft. Her expected appointment follows a meeting scheduled at President Paudel’s residence, rescheduled from the morning to Friday afternoon.
Police spokesperson Binod Ghimire confirmed that among the dead were 21 protesters, nine prisoners, three police officers, and 18 civilians. Families across Kathmandu and beyond are now mourning loved ones lost in the chaos.
One victim, Ashab Alam Thakurai, 24, had been married just a month before. “The last we spoke to him, he said he was stuck with the protest. After that we lost contact… eventually we found him in the morgue,” said his uncle, Zulfikar Alam.
Nepal, wedged between India and China, has struggled with political turbulence and economic instability since the abolition of its monarchy in 2008. Millions of its citizens continue to seek work abroad, sending vital remittances back home.
By Friday, parts of Kathmandu showed early signs of calm, with shops reopening, cars returning to the roads, and police carrying batons instead of guns. Yet some streets remained blocked, and soldiers were still stationed in reduced numbers. At hospitals, grieving families waited for the release of victims’ bodies.
“While his friends backed off, he decided to go ahead,” said Karuna Budhathoki, who was collecting the body of her 23-year-old nephew at Kathmandu’s Teaching Hospital.
Karki’s anticipated appointment is seen as a move to restore stability, with protesters hailing her as a leader who embodies honesty and hope for a new political chapter.
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