Gen-Z leaders divided as Nepal searches for next Prime Minister

Nepal’s Gen-Z leaders remained divided over the choice of the next head of government on Wednesday evening, ahead of a crucial meeting with the top brass of the Nepal Army. The Army has assumed responsibility for maintaining law and order following Tuesday’s violent protests in Kathmandu.

The Army invited protest leaders for dialogue after Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned from his post amid intense youth-led demonstrations against his rule.

According to two Gen-Z leaders, discussions are underway to finalise an apolitical figure to lead the interim government, but no consensus has been reached so far.

“Several Gen-Z leaders have proposed former Chief Justice Sushila Karki to head the next government,” said Rabi Kiran Hamal, one of the leaders involved in the talks. He added that other names being considered include former Nepal Electricity Authority Managing Director Kul Man Ghising and Dharan Mayor Harka Sampang.

Hamal, reportedly linked to the royalist Rastriya Prajatantra Party, said he personally prefers a Gen-Z representative to take the top job.

Karki, 73, became Nepal’s first woman Chief Justice in 2016 and retired the following year. She was briefly suspended after lawmakers filed an impeachment motion against her over an allegedly biased verdict, though she is still regarded as a strong-willed figure.