By Nepal dissolves parliament, calls elections after violent protests
Nepal’s President Ramchandra Paudel has dissolved parliament and called fresh elections for March 5, 2026, his office announced late Friday, after a week of deadly unrest that culminated in the appointment of the country’s first woman prime minister in an interim capacity.
The announcement came just hours after Paudel named former Chief Justice Sushila Karki to lead the interim government, following “Gen Z”-led anti-graft protests that forced Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to resign. “The president dissolved the House of Representatives … and fixed March 5, 2026, Thursday, for the elections,” his office said in a statement.
Nepal’s President Ramchandra Paudel administers the oath of office to Sushila Karki, a former Chief Justice, as Nepal’s interim prime minister during a swearing-in ceremony, following violent anti-graft protests, at the president’s office in Kathmandu, Nepal, September 12, 2025. Nepal’s President Office/Handout via REUTERS.
Karki’s appointment followed two days of intense negotiations between Paudel, army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel and protest leaders. The demonstrations marked Nepal’s worst political upheaval in years, leaving at least 51 people dead and more than 1,300 injured.
Nepal’s southern neighbour, India, said it hoped that the developments would help foster peace and stability.
“Heartfelt congratulations to the Honorable Sushila Karki Ji on assuming the office of Prime Minister of Nepal’s interim government. India is fully committed to the peace, progress, and prosperity of Nepal’s brothers and sisters,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X.
The country-wide protests were sparked by a social media ban that has since been rolled back. The violence subsided only after Oli resigned on Tuesday.
A Nepali Army soldier guards outside presidential building “Shital Niwas”, following Monday’s deadly anti-corruption protests triggered by a social media ban, which was later lifted, in Kathmandu, Nepal, September 13, 2025.
Nepal, a nation of 30 million nestled between China and India, has grappled with political and economic instability since abolishing its monarchy in 2008. A lack of domestic opportunities has pushed millions of young Nepalis to seek work abroad, primarily in the Middle East, South Korea, and Malaysia.
By Friday, daily life showed signs of returning to normal, with shops reopening, traffic returning to the streets, and police exchanging their guns for batons.
