Meena Bhatta
In an unprecedented 36 hours, the Himalayan Republic of Nepal experienced one of the most dramatic political upheavals since the abolition of the monarchy in 2008. What began as a peaceful, youth-led demonstration against corruption and nepotism spiraled into a nationwide resistance. Nepal’s streets and digital spaces converged into a powerful force of dissent resulting in the toppling of K.P. Sharma Oli’s government and the appointment of Sushila Karki, a former chief justice, as the head of the interim government.
Karki is Nepal’s 14th prime minster in the 17 years since Nepal was declared a republic. She is also the first ever woman to hold the post. Her interim leadership now has the mandate to undertake governance reform and hold fresh elections to gather a new public mandate.
What distinguishes this upheaval from prior political movements in Nepal is its genesis and character. Unlike Nepal’s past political movements, the Gen Z revolution was not designed in party offices or tea shops, but rather born online, in the glare of smartphone screens through social media and digital networks. This Gen Z Revolution represents more than an outburst of anger. It represents a significant shift in Nepal’s political structure, where digital tools empower and drive the young to challenge deep-rooted political imbalances.
The path ahead is far from straightforward forward, yet the uprising has planted a seed of hope for accountability, transparency. The fundamental question remains whether this revolution will produce genuine systemic change or fade into another cycle of instability. The real test hinges on translating the digital momentum into meaningful democratic and institutional reform.
Nepal is no stranger to political upheavals. The 1950-51 revolution ended the Rana rule and introduced democracy, the 1990 People’s Movement reinstated party-based democracy, the decade-long Maoist insurgency (1996-2006) drove the nation through armed struggle that ended in the Comprehensive Peace Accord, and the 2006 People’s Movement (Jana Andolan II) forced the monarchy’s end to transform Nepal into a federal democratic republic in 2008. All of these movements were characterized by elite political bargaining between Nepal’s established political parties, leading to negotiated power sharing agreements that were eventually endorsed by Nepal’s clientelist political culture. The Gen Z revolution led by Nepal’s young “digital netizens” has tried to break this pattern.
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