Nepal Swears in New Interim Ministers Following Youth-Led Protests

Nepal’s new interim prime minister unveiled her first cabinet on Monday, as the country works to restore calm after deadly youth-led anti-corruption protests toppled the previous government.

In a ceremony held under an outdoor canopy against the backdrop of the fire-damaged presidential office, President Ram Chandra Paudel administered the oath of office to three key ministers, with the event broadcast live on television.

The protests, which erupted on September 8 after a ban on social media, quickly escalated into nationwide unrest fueled by longstanding economic frustrations. Demonstrators set parliament and several government buildings ablaze, in what became Nepal’s worst violence since the civil war and abolition of the monarchy in 2008. At least 72 people were killed within two days, while 191 remain hospitalized, according to official figures.

Prime Minister Sushila Karki, 73, a former chief justice, now faces the challenge of meeting protesters’ demands for a corruption-free future ahead of elections scheduled for March. She appointed Om Prakash Aryal—an advocate renowned for fighting corruption and governance issues—as home minister, while also overseeing law, justice, and parliamentary affairs.

Kulman Ghising, credited with ending Nepal’s chronic power shortages during his time as director of the Nepal Electricity Authority, was assigned the energy, infrastructure, transport, and urban development portfolios.

Respected economist and former finance secretary Rameshwor Khanal was named finance minister, tasked with addressing the unemployment crisis that helped fuel the uprising. According to World Bank data, one in five Nepalis aged 15 to 24 is jobless, while GDP per capita remains at just $1,447.