Nepal to Vote on March 5, Restrictions Eased as Interim Government Takes Charge

PNN International Desk | Kathmandu, September 13

After days of protests and arson, the political landscape in the Himalayan nation of Nepal has taken a new turn. President Ram Chandra Poudel has announced that parliamentary elections will be held on March 5. The announcement came just hours after former chief justice and anti-corruption movement figure Sushila Karki was appointed as the country’s first female prime minister to lead the interim government.

With the president’s declaration, Nepal’s 275-member parliament has been dissolved. The interim government has now set out to stabilize the nation in preparation for fresh elections.

Only a week ago, protests had erupted over a ban on social media, but they quickly escalated into a mass uprising against corruption and nepotism. In Kathmandu, demonstrators torched parliament, the residences of top leaders, and other government buildings. Under intense pressure, Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli was forced to resign.

According to police, at least 51 people have died in the violence since Monday — including 21 protesters, three police officers, nine prisoners, and 18 civilians. During the unrest, more than 13,000 prisoners escaped from various jails, though around 1,000 have since been recaptured.

The movement was largely driven by Generation Z youth. Longstanding frustrations over unemployment, poverty, and inequality spilled into the streets. A lack of job opportunities, particularly in rural areas, has pushed many young people to migrate abroad. The struggles of hundreds of thousands of Nepali workers in the Middle East, Malaysia, and South Korea have fueled widespread resentment at home, forming the backdrop for the protests.

Following two days of negotiations between the president, army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel, and protest leaders, Karki’s name was put forward. Under her leadership, the interim government is now seeking to restore peace.

Soon after Karki was sworn in, neighboring India offered its congratulations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on social media: “India will always stand with our brothers and sisters of Nepal on their path to peace, progress, and prosperity.”