Nepal’s new interim prime minister unveiled her first cabinet on Monday, as the Himalayan nation seeks to restore stability after deadly youth-led anti-corruption protests toppled the previous government.
In a ceremony held under an outdoor awning beside the fire-scarred presidential office, President Ram Chandra Paudel swore in three key ministers, with the event broadcast live on national television.
The protests, triggered by a ban on social media and fuelled by long-standing economic grievances, erupted on September 8 and quickly escalated into the worst unrest since the end of the civil war and the abolition of the monarchy in 2008. Demonstrators set parliament and key government buildings ablaze before security forces regained control.
Prime Minister Sushila Karki, 73, a former chief justice, has been tasked with steering the country through the crisis and addressing protesters’ demands for clean governance ahead of elections scheduled for March.
Among the new appointees is Om Prakash Aryal, a prominent anti-corruption lawyer who becomes home minister while also overseeing law, justice, and parliamentary affairs. Kulman Ghising, the former electricity authority chief who ended Nepal’s chronic power cuts, takes charge of energy, infrastructure, transport, and urban development. Rameshwor Khanal, a respected economist and former finance secretary, assumes the finance portfolio, facing the urgent challenge of tackling youth unemployment.
According to the World Bank, one in five Nepalis aged 15–24 is unemployed, while GDP per capita remains just $1,447 — stark reminders of the economic frustrations underpinning the uprising.
AFP
