Jurist at the Helm

As Gen Z protests reshape Nepal’s political landscape, a former judge takes the reins.

Beset by mass protests and clamorous calls for change, Nepal’s rudderless political ship has turned to an unlikely helmswoman. On September 12, President Ram Chandra Poudel appointed Sushila Karki, former Chief Justice and anti-corruption crusader, as the interim Prime Minister of the crisis-ridden Himalayan state, dissolving Parliament and scheduling fresh elections for March 5, 2026. At 73, Karki became Nepal’s first woman Prime Minister.

Her elevation came in the wake of the so-called ‘Gen Z’ protests that forced the resignation of K.P. Sharma Oli, the erstwhile prime minister who had ordered a brutal crackdown on protesters. The demonstrators, who began their campaign over a controversial social media ban, had demanded not only Oli’s departure but also the dissolution of Parliament which they saw as a bastion of entrenched political interests. It was only after Karki received the explicit endorsement of key movement leaders, including Kathmandu’s maverick mayor Balendra Shah, that consensus on her appointment was reached.

Unlike career politicians, Karki’s background is rooted in jurisprudence. Born in 1952 in a modest farming family in eastern Nepal, she was the eldest of seven siblings and nurtured early political sympathies through family ties to Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala, Nepal’s first democratically elected prime minister. She studied political science at Banaras Hindu University before pursuing a law degree at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu. Rising through the ranks of Nepal’s legal system, she became a Supreme Court judge in 2009 and served as Chief Justice from 2016 to 2017.

Her judicial tenure was marked by a resolute stance against corruption, culminating in several high-profile convictions notably that of Information Minister Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta. Her zero-tolerance approach made powerful enemies, and in 2017, an impeachment motion was launched against her, accusing her of bias. Yet public outcry and judicial intervention saw the motion withdrawn, and Karki returned to office before retiring shortly thereafter.

Her rise to political leadership reflects an unusual but growing global pattern in times of crisis. Just as Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was called upon to head Bangladesh’s interim government in 2024, Karki’s appointment signals a temporary but deliberate shift toward technocratic stewardship which is designed to restore stability and oversee democratic transition.

She faces a formidable challenge. The protests that ousted Oli left at least 51 dead and over 1,300 injured, including protesters, police officers and prisoners. The social media ban, seen as an attempt to suppress dissent, was widely condemned. With the army acting as both mediator and stabilizer, her government must navigate deep institutional distrust and growing political fragmentation.

Karki’s immediate challenge will be to hold credible elections amid lingering tensions. Her legal background and reputation for integrity are seen as assets in this delicate phase, though critics warn of the risks of technocracy sidelining genuine political debate.

Yet beyond the politics lies the symbolism of Karki’s appointment, which resonates deeply in a nation long plagued by corruption and institutional weakness. Nepal’s modern political history has been a turbulent one. The country transitioned from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy in 1990, only to abolish the monarchy entirely in 2008 after a decade-long Maoist insurgency that cost tens of thousands of lives. Since then, the democratic experiment has been marred by fractured coalition governments and repeated accusations of graft and nepotism. Electoral processes have often been undermined by political horse-trading, and powerful political dynasties like the Koirala and Oli families have long dominated Kathmandu’s corridors of power.

Karki is neither a political novice nor a revolutionist, but a jurist drawn from the judiciary’s ranks. All eyes are now on her to steer the country through its most turbulent chapter in recent history.