Nepal PM resigns amid deadly protests over corruption, social media ban

Kathmandu, Sep 9:  Faced with the intense pressure from Gen-Z protests that resulted in the death of 19 people, Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned from his post on Tuesday afternoon. Oli submitted his resignation letter to President Ram Chandra Poudel, citing the abnormal situation in the country as protests intensified against his rule throughout the country. 

His resignation came just hours after enraged demonstrators stormed his office in Kathmandu and set fire to his private residence in Balkot, Bhaktapur.

In the resignation letter, Oli said he resigned from the post as per article 77 (1) of the constitution to pave the way for constitutional resolution of the current situation.

Oli was elected Prime Minister on July 14, 2024, as per a consensus reached with Nepali Congress, the largest party in the parliament.

Some reports indicated that Mayor Balen Shah could be appointed as an interim Prime Minister of the country.

The unrest began after the government announced a nationwide ban on social media platforms, a move widely condemned as an assault on free expression.

Protests quickly spread across Kathmandu and other districts, leading to violent clashes with security forces.

At least 19 people were killed and more than 300 injured in the confrontations. Although the ban was revoked late Monday night in response to mounting public anger, the protests only intensified.

As protests intensified on the second day, the ruling coalition appeared to have fractured one after another with ministers particularly belonging to Nepali Congress resigning and putting further pressure on the government to quit.

General Secretaries of ruling Nepali Congress, Gagan Thapa and Bishwo Prakash Sharma had earlier urged Prime Minister Oli to resign and pave the way forward.

Thapa and Sharma said in a statement that the relevance of the seven-point agreement reached between the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) and Congress during the formation of the government was no longer valid.

It is not immediately clear what course Nepal's politics would take now as all the lawmakers from the fourth largest party Rastriya Swatantra Party also resigned in masses demanding an interim government.

Enraged by the killing of so many people during the first day of the protests organised by the Gen-Z demanding accountability for corruption and social media ban, protestors throughout the country started to attack houses of leaders and government buildings.

On Tuesday, the protestors stormed into the parliament building at Baneshwor in Kathmandu and set the building on fire. The protestors had made unsuccessful attempts to damage the building even on Monday which led to strong police response leading to the death of several people.

They also entered the Singh Durbar, the main administrative centre of the Nepal government and torched the main gate.

By Tuesday, demonstrators turned their fury on Nepal’s political establishment. The homes of several senior leaders, including former Prime Ministers Sher Bahadur Deuba and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, as well as ministers in the ruling coalition, were attacked and torched.

Party offices of both the ruling CPN (UML) and the opposition Nepali Congress were also vandalised and set ablaze.

Torching and vandalism in the government offices in many parts of the country have also been reported by the local media.

Similar cases of vandalism and torching were also reported in several government offices of the nation.

The authorities said that the situation in Kathmandu has remained tense as protests intensified in several parts of the valley despite the curfew imposed by the local administrations.

After Home Minister and Agriculture Minister, Minister for Health and Population Pradip Poudel and Minister for Youth and Sports Teju Lal Chaudhary also announced their resignation from their respective positions, expressing regret over the use of force against the Gen-Z protestors.

Videos of the torching of Prime Minister Oli's house at Balakot in Kathmandu's Bhaktapur also went viral on social media. The protestors also forcefully entered Singh Durbar, the main administrative centre of the government.

District officials in Lalitpur confirmed widespread vandalism of leaders’ homes. “The situation is tense as protests have erupted in different parts of the district. We have exercised maximum restraint and have not ordered firing at protestors,” said Suman Ghimire, Chief District Officer of Lalitpur.

Likewise, Bhaktapur district Chief District Officer Namaraj Ghimire said the situation has remained tense in the district.

"We have exercised maximum restraint and have not ordered to shoot at protestors," he said.

The local media also reported the torching of the houses of former Prime Minister Deuba, President Ram Chandra Poudel's house, and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak.

With Oli’s resignation, Nepal faces a period of deep political uncertainty. The Gen Z-led protests, fuelled by anger over censorship and the deaths of young demonstrators, have snowballed into one of the gravest political crises in recent years – a movement that may reshape the nation’s political landscape.

--IANS