Nepal’s interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki used her first public address to promise a clean and accountable government after weeks of unrest shook the country’s leadership. Speaking on the occasion of Nepal’s national day, which marked a decade since the adoption of the current constitution, she said her administration would prioritise jobs, higher living standards, and a determined fight against corruption.
“The protests reflect the aspirations of the young generation, a growing level of popular awareness and dissatisfaction over the rising corruption,” Karki told the nation, acknowledging that recent demonstrations were the result of governance failures. “We must accept the fact that the protests took place because of the failure to fulfill the spirit and objectives of providing good governance and prosperity enshrined in the constitution.”
Karki, 73, took charge last week after violent youth-led protests—branded by organisers as “demonstrations by Gen Z”—forced the resignation of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. At least 72 people were killed and more than 2,100 injured, while public offices, including the prime minister’s complex, the Supreme Court and parliament building, as well as private establishments like luxury hotels, suffered heavy damage in arson and vandalism.
The former Supreme Court chief justice, and the first woman ever to hold both that role and the premiership, has been tasked with steering the country to parliamentary elections on March 5. She stressed that her interim government’s priorities will be employment creation, anti-graft measures, transparency, development, and social welfare.
Backed by Gen Z representatives for her reputation as a principled defender of the rule of law, Karki has already named three ministers with reformist credentials to join her cabinet. She also underlined that elections would be held on schedule, calling it her foremost responsibility.
