Nepal sets March elections after naming interim prime minister

Nepal’s President Ramchandra Paudel has dissolved parliament and called fresh elections for 5 March, following a week of deadly unrest that ended with the country appointing its first woman prime minister.

The president’s office issued the announcement late on Friday, only hours after Paudel named former Chief Justice Sushila Karki to lead an interim government. Her appointment came in the wake of violent youth-led anti-corruption protests that forced Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to step down.

In his statement, Paudel confirmed that he had “dissolved the House of Representatives” and fixed the election date for next year. Karki was chosen after two days of intense talks between the president, army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel and protest leaders. At least 51 people were killed and more than 1,300 injured in Nepal’s worst upheaval in years.

India, Nepal’s southern neighbour, welcomed the move. “Heartfelt congratulations to the Honourable Sushila Karki Ji on assuming the office of Prime Minister of Nepal’s interim government. India remains fully committed to the peace, progress, and prosperity of Nepal’s brothers and sisters,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X.

The unrest began with a controversial social media ban that has since been withdrawn. Violence eased after Oli’s resignation on Tuesday, and by Saturday, daily life was gradually returning in the capital Kathmandu, with shops reopening and vehicles back on the roads after curfews were lifted.

Immediate challenges

Relatives of those killed gathered outside the prime minister’s official residence, demanding recognition of the deceased as martyrs — a status that carries both honour and compensation. Some families refused to collect the bodies of their loved ones until their demands were met.

“My brother should be declared a martyr as he died for the country, and the government should provide compensation to my parents,” said Sumitra Mahat, whose 21-year-old brother Umesh was among the dead. She and other bereaved families held banners displaying photographs of those killed, most of whom, they said, had been shot during the protests.

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