Crisis-hit Nepal plunges into chaos after PM Oli resigns

Kathmandu- Under mounting pressure from nationwide Gen-Z protests that left 19 people dead, Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned from office on Tuesday afternoon. He submitted his resignation to President Ram Chandra Poudel, citing the abnormal situation created by intensifying demonstrations against his rule.

In his letter, Oli said he stepped down under Article 77(1) of the Constitution to “pave the way for a constitutional resolution” to the crisis. Oli had assumed office on July 14, 2024, following a consensus deal with the Nepali Congress, the largest party in parliament.

Speculation is rife that Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah may be named interim Prime Minister.

The government began to unravel after Monday’s violent crackdown on protestors, which killed 19. Ministers from the Nepali Congress resigned en masse, and the Rastriya Swatantra Party also withdrew its lawmakers, demanding an interim administration.

Nepali Congress leaders Gagan Thapa and Bishwo Prakash Sharma had earlier urged Oli to quit, declaring that the seven-point agreement between Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) that formed the coalition had lost validity.

Protests escalated across Kathmandu Valley and beyond, with demonstrators torching parliament in Baneshwor, Singh Durbar — the government’s administrative hub — and party offices of both UML and Congress. Homes of several political leaders, including those of former prime ministers Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Sher Bahadur Deuba, President Poudel, and ex-Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, were also attacked or set ablaze.

Authorities imposed curfews in several districts, but the unrest continued. Local officials reported that while police had exercised restraint, the situation remained “tense and volatile.”

Meanwhile, viral videos on social media showed protestors torching Oli’s residence in Bhaktapur. The resignations of the Home Minister, Health Minister Pradip Poudel, and Sports Minister Teju Lal Chaudhary deepened the political vacuum.

The unfolding chaos has thrown Nepal into an uncertain phase, with the immediate course of the country’s politics still unclear.

With inputs from IANS