The judge of the Supreme Court of Nepal, Sushila Karki (right), observes a minute of silence during the day of democracy in Kathmandu, Nepal, on February 18, 2017.
Niranjan Shrestha / AP
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Niranjan Shrestha / AP
Kathmandu, Nepal – The President of Nepal appointed the former chief judge of the Supreme Court on Friday, Sushila Karki, as an interim Prime Minister and the first woman to lead the government of the Himalayan nation, following enthusiasm demonstrations which collapsed the previous administration.
Karki, a popular figure when he was the only chief judge of the Court in 2016 and 2017, was sworn in by President Ram Chandra Poudel at the presidential residence in a small ceremony broadcast on public television. Politicians, civil servants and foreign diplomats invited to the ceremony congratulate her.
Karki, 73, was known for his position against corruption within the government during his functions. Some legislators tried to dismiss her in April 2017, accusing her of a bias, but this decision failed and was criticized at the time as an attack on the judiciary.
A demonstrator with a flak jacket and wearing a shield torn from a police officer screaming slogans in the Singha Durbar, the siege of the various ministries and offices of the Government of Nepal, during a protest against a ban and corruption of social media in Katmandu, Nepal on Tuesday.
Niranjan Shrestha / AP
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Niranjan Shrestha / AP
The street demonstrations that started on Monday in Kathmandu about a ban on social media became violent, the demonstrators attacking government buildings and the opening of the police. Although the ban was canceled, the troubles continued on broader grievances, with tens of thousands of demonstrators attacking and burning the parliament, presidential residence and businesses.
Violence prompted Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli to resign on Tuesday and flee his official residence. The Nepal army took control of the capital on Tuesday evening and began negotiations between the demonstrators, the army and the president for an interim government.
Violence in last week left at least 51 dead, police announced on Friday.
Many deaths were demonstrators killed by police fires and some were prisoners who were trying to get out of a prison in the capital, Kathmandu. Three police were also one of the dead, police said.
The army has applied a curfew since Tuesday evening, the residents gave a few hours a day to leave their home to buy food and supplies while the soldiers keep the streets of Katmandu.
The demonstrations – called the protest of the Z generation – were triggered by the short -term ban on the platforms, in particular Facebook, X and Youtube, which, according to the government, had not succeeded and subjected to surveillance.
But they soon reflected a broader dissatisfaction, with many young people angry with what they call “nepo children” of political leaders who love luxurious lifestyles while most young people find it difficult to find work.
