Nepal: After Monday’s uprising,’ Gen Z factions confused on the next move

Virendra Pandit

New Delhi: After toppling the Communist-led government within 48 hours on Tuesday, and then torching several national symbols, the confused Generation Z, still leaderless and clueless,  is trying to come to terms with a stark reality: how to govern a poor, landlocked country that has no government, and where more than 13,000 criminals who fled prisons during uprising, have become another headache for the Nepalese Army amid its efforts to restore order.

Nepal Army Chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel now has the onerous task of keeping the country together.

On Wednesday, media reports from Kathmandu said the protesters had picked ex-Chief Justice and anti-corruption activist Sushila Karki to lead the transition to a new government. Reports said she had begun talks with the Nepal Army which has taken temporary control of the Himalayan country and government.

However, on Thursday, a Gen Z protest faction proposed Kulman Ghising, 54, an electrical engineer credited with solving Nepal’s power crisis, as the interim Prime Minister.

It aided the 73-year-old former Chief Justice in not being able to become head of the interim government because the Constitution prohibits retired judges from holding positions other than in the judiciary. They also said she was ‘too old’ to be a Gen Z leader..

Instead, Ghising was hailed as a ‘patriot’ and ‘everybody’s favourite’ to liaise with the Army.

That apparent disagreement led to brief clashes in Kathmandu this afternoon, not between protesters and the authorities but between Gen Z factions.

Seven years after the 239-year-old Hindu monarchy was abolished, the 2015 Constitution provided that no judge will hold an office after retirement, except in judiciary. Some see this as an obstacle in Karki becoming an interim Prime Minister.

A message from President Ram Chandra Paudel, who reportedly fled to safety, indicated as much. He said, “I am making every effort to find a way out of the current difficult situation in the country within the constitutional framework.”

“I appeal to all parties to be confident… a solution to the problem is being sought as soon as possible to address demands of agitating citizens,” he said, as he also called on protesters to “cooperate with restraint in maintaining peace and order in the country.”

Karki remains in touch with the Army to work out the way forward.

In a statement after her name was proposed, she said “nothing has been fixed yet… nothing is final, it could all change tomorrow.”

“We cannot say it will definitely be me. Decisions are made after discussions…” She also said she has a “good impression” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Army, meanwhile, said it is in talks with stakeholders. “Talks are focused on finding a way out from this stalemate and, at the same time maintaining the law and order situation…”

The likely consensus candidate is Kathmandu Mayor Balendra ‘Balen’ Shah, a 35-year-old engineer by training who is popular with the Gen Z, thanks to his image as a rapper-politician. But he appears reluctant to take up the mantle. In fact, on Thursday morning he endorsed the choice of Sushika Karki as Nepal’s interim Prime Minister.

“Please don’t panic at this time, be patient. Now the country is going to get an interim government. Its job is to conduct elections that will give a new mandate,” he said.

A minority faction within the Gen Z protesters supported Harka Sampang, a social and anti-corruption activist who was twice elected as Mayor of Dharan, a small city in Koshi province. However, his candidature was swiftly shot down and even his supporters acknowledged that he was “not competent enough.”

The structure of any proposed interim government is also unclear.

Under the Nepal constitution, a new Prime Minister must be appointed from the party (or alliance) that has a parliamentary majority. If there is no clear option, the President can name a successor of his choice who must face a confidence vote. If the proposed PM fails, the House may be dissolved and a fresh election held.

Nepal’s problem is exacerbated by the fact that much of the political old guard, including the Opposition, have vanished from public view after several of them were targeted with arson and violence this week.

Gen Z protesters backing Karki have said their aim is not to radically alter the Constitution.

Meanwhile, soldiers continue to patrol the streets of Kathmandu and other towns and cities to maintain an uneasy peace.

At least 31 people died since the protests began Monday afternoon and nearly 1,400 others have been injured in clashes that extended to protesters storming the Parliament and a historical building, the Singha Darbar, that houses government offices, and setting fire to various structures.