Nepal: Calm returns after the appointment of a Prime Minister and the prospect of elections in March 2026

Market stalls are once again open to their customers, and temples to their worshippers. The capital was the scene of violent anti-government protests on Monday and Tuesday, which, according to the latest police report, left at least 51 dead and hundreds injured.

Appointed Friday evening after three days of negotiations, the former head of the Supreme Court, Sushila Karki, 73, began her term at the head of a caretaker government at a brisk pace. Immediately after taking office, President Ramchandra Paudrel ordered the dissolution of Parliament and called legislative elections for March 5, 2026, one of the demands of the young protesters united under the banner of "Generation Z."

The schedule of Nepal's first woman leader promises to be a busy one, and her mission is challenging, given the growing demands of the youth who overthrew the old regime. Her appointment has been welcomed as a relief by many Nepalese.

"This interim government is a good thing," said Durga Magar, a 23-year-old shopkeeper. "We don't know what will happen in the future, but we are happy […] and we hope that the situation will calm down now." "The priority is to tackle corruption," continued Durga Magar. "We don't care whether it's Generation Z or older politicians who are dealing with it; it just has to stop."

The protests, which began Monday with anger over the blocking of social media, have spilled over into a political revolt against a government deemed corrupt and incapable of meeting its aspirations, particularly in terms of employment and living standards. The deadly crackdown on protesters precipitated the events.

On Tuesday, protesters poured into the streets of Kathmandu and systematically set fire to or ransacked all symbols of power: Parliament, ministerial buildings, elected officials' residences, etc. The embodiment of the elite, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, 73, who has served four times as Prime Minister since 2015, had no choice but to resign. The leader of the Communist Party (Maoist) had led a coalition with a center-left party since 2024.

"After the abolition of the monarchy (in 2008), all these leaders played musical chairs," explained Hikhar Bajracharya, 32, a trader we met Saturday in Kathmandu. "They held power in such a way that it was impossible for young people to enter politics or become prime minister," he added.

Sushila Karki was working on the composition of her government on Saturday, according to her entourage.

One of his immediate tasks is also to ensure the restoration of order throughout the country and in particular to capture some 12,500 prisoners who took advantage of the unrest to escape from their prisons and were still on the run on Saturday.