Sushila Karki, a magistrate “without affinity with the political elite” at the head of Nepal

Her arrival in power comes “after a week of violent and destructive protests,” contextualizes the Nepalese newspaper. Demonstrations against the banning of 26 social networks, corruption and inequality had inflamed the country, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli and the destruction of several public buildings. At least 51 people were killed and hundreds more injured during these unrests, the most serious since the abolition of the monarchy in 2008. It is in this context of crisis that the figure of Sushila Karki, “known for her incorruptibility,” emerged, we read on the Spotlight website .

“Born in Biratnagar [in southeastern Nepal] and aged 73, Karki studied at the Hindu University of Banaras, India, and then at Tribhuvan University, Nepal, and she entered the world of law at a time when it was not common for women to study it or become judges,” reports the Kathmandu media. This makes her career all the more impressive.

Once appointed to the Supreme Court, the Nepalese woman made headlines several times due to her intransigence in corruption cases. “Karki has no affinity with the political elite,” says Nepali Times .

The headline recalls that in April 2017, “the coalition government of Maoist Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had launched [unsuccessfully] impeachment proceedings against him, after the Supreme Court annulled an appointment to head the police services which violated the principle of seniority provided for by law” .

According to Spotlight , the septuagenarian has also been accused by politicians of “favoring women in her judgments, through positive discrimination” and “allegedly appointing certain people to judicial positions based on her political opinions” .

But "Nepalese people, still reeling from the deaths and destruction of the week, welcomed her appointment with relief, saying it represented a reinvigorating victory for the reforms demanded by Generation Z," Nepali Times reports. There was even reportedly a "consensus" on Sushila Karki's name during negotiations between Army Chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel, representatives of the protesters, and President Ramchandra Paudel.

“This is the first time since the promulgation [in 2015] of the new Nepalese Constitution that a prime minister has been appointed through its Article 61, which gives the president the right to act as head of state” and to appoint a new head of government, specifies The Himalayan Times . The new head of government is now responsible, following the deadly riots of last week, for ensuring the transition until elections set for March 2026.

In doing so, Sushila Karki, who reserved her first outing this Saturday, September 13, for those injured in the deadly riots earlier this week, will have a lot to do. Interviewed by the Indian channel CNN-News 18 , she stated her priorities: to pay tribute to the “young men and women killed during the demonstrations” and to support their families. and “eradicate corruption in the country,” demands made by Generation Z. “There are other issues, many other issues [to be addressed] , she added. But these can only be resolved under these conditions.”

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