Nepal’s former chief justice Sushila Karki was sworn in this week as the country’s first-ever female prime minister, amid continued social upheaval in the South Asian country.
Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA-EFE
Sept. 13 (UPI) — Nepal’s former chief justice Sushila Karki was sworn in this week as the country’s first-ever female prime minister, amid continued social upheaval in the South Asian country.
The country has also called an election for March 5, which would come roughly halfway through the current political term.
Karki, 73, was hastily sworn in under heavy security as the country of almost 30 million people remains under strict military curfew following deadly protests earlier in the week that caused prime minister KP Sharma Oli to resign.
U.S. Ambassador to Nepal Dean Thompson was one of the few foreign officials present at the swearing in ceremony.
Oli, who served three terms as the country’s prime minister, had his house set on fire as part of the anti-corruption protests. The demonstrations were first sparked after the Nepalese government moved to block access to several social media apps.
Nepal’s military has moved most of the country’s serving politicians to an army barracks near the capital of Kathmandu.
The country’s current parliament was officially dissolved Friday evening.
The Communist Party of Nepal criticized the dissolution of parliament, saying it was in “serious disagreement” with the move, a sentiment echoed by the Nepal Bar Association.
Karki was chosen informally by the so-called “Gen-Z” protestors, who organized a vote on the messaging app Discord.
In 2016, she became the first woman to serve as chief justice in Nepal.
Nepal had yet to issue an official statement and the official website of the prime minister’s office could not be reached Saturday afternoon.
India’s government issued a formal statement, recognizing the new transitional government.
“We welcome the formation of a new Interim Government in Nepal, led by Right Honorable Mrs. Sushila Karki. We are hopeful that this would help in fostering peace and stability,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
“As a close neighbor, a fellow democracy and a long term development partner, India will continue to work closely with Nepal for the well-being and prosperity of our two peoples and countries.”