After Forcing The Prime Minister To Resign, Gen Z In Nepal Have Now Elected A New Caretaker Prime Minister Via Discord
With the country in limbo and no clear leader expected, Nepalis then took to Discord to choose their next leader.
After forcing the prime minister to resign in some of Nepal's biggest protests, Gen Z in Nepal have now elected a new caretaker prime minister via Discord.
On Sept. 4, the government banned 26 major social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and more.
Then, Unprecedented protests led by Gen Z erupted in Nepal on Sept. 8 as thousands of young people took to the streets over longstanding corruption and nepotism.
Young people in Nepal have become increasingly frustrated with high unemployment rates, with more than 2,000 young people leaving the country every day to find work abroad.
The move was the last straw for young people, who took to the streets in massive, peaceful anti-government protests.
But security forces, including police and the Nepali Army, cracked down violently on protesters across Kathmandu and other major cities, fueling more anger.
At least 51 people were killed, and more than 1,300 others were injured.
Then, on Tuesday, Sept. 9, Nepali prime minister KP Sharma Oli resigned, saying he would not allow the “situation to spiral further.”
The government collapsed, and protesters set the parliament building on fire.
With the country in limbo and no clear leader expected, Nepalis then took to Discord to choose their next leader.
A channel named "Youth Against Corruption" that was organized by members of Hami Nepal, or We are Nepal, a civic organization, with several Gen-Z activists, grew to over 145,000 members.
The military, which was effectively ruling the country in the interim, met with the channel’s organizers and asked them to put forth a potential nominee for interim leader.
After several polls and discussions, the channel settled on former Supreme Court Chief Justice Sushila Karki, the first woman chief justice in Nepal who was known for her tough stance on corruption, according to Reuters.
She won a key poll with over 7,700 votes, securing 50% in the final voting, with organizers proposing her as the interim prime minister to the army.
The channel organizers said Karki then met with Nepal’s president and Army chief on Thursday, Sept. 11, according to the New York Times.
On Friday, Sept. 12, she was appointed the interim prime minister to oversee elections, which the president announced would take place in March 2026.
Cherry Mohamed
