Sushila Karki, former chief justice, on Friday took oath as the interim prime minister of Nepal, becoming the country's first-ever woman head of government. She was sworn in along with multiple cabinet ministers, including Kulman Ghising and Sudan Gurung, who were also seen as contenders for the PM's office.
The interim government has been given the mandate to hold elections within six months.
The breakthrough came after days of deadly protests led by the country's Gen Z, which toppled KP Sharma Oli's government, and the Himalayan nation plunged into turmoil.
The decision to appoint Sushila Karki, 73, as head of the interim government came after protesters held marathon talks with the Army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel and President Ram Chandra Poudel.
The protesters' demands of dissolving the Parliament and appointing Karki as the interim PM were accepted earlier in the day.
Sushila Karki's cabinet ministers
Along with Karki, several ministers were sworn in. Balananda Sharma Poudel, a former general of the Nepal Army, took oath as the home minister. Kulman Ghising will serve as the minister for water resources and electricity.
Om Prakash Aryal was sworn in as the law minister. Hami Nepal founder Sudan Gurung is likely to be given the information and broadcast minister portfolio.
The president has also dissolved the parliament, and the heads of all security forces have been summoned to Sheetak Niwas in Kathmandu, the president's residence.
Security stepped in Kathmandu
Security has also been tightened at Sushila Karki’s residence. In addition, the army has already set up a security cordon at Singha Durbar, where the Ministry of Home Affairs building will house Karki's official office. The speaker of the parliament and the chairperson of the national assembly have also been called for the swearing-in ceremony.
Who is Sushila Karki?
Karki began her legal career in 1979 as an advocate in Biratnagar and steadily rose through the ranks, becoming a Supreme Court justice in 2009. In 2016, she made history as Nepal’s first female Chief Justice, a milestone that coincided with women holding the country’s top three posts: president, speaker of parliament, and chief justice, and now the prime minister.
She earned recognition for her uncompromising stance against corruption, most notably ordering the conviction and imprisonment of sitting minister Jaya Prakash Gupta on corruption charges.
Karki holds a Master’s degree in political science from Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, completed in 1975, and a Bachelor’s degree in law from Tribhuvan University, Nepal, obtained in 1978. She once spoke fondly of her time at Tribhuvan, where she not only studied law but also pursued her love for dance, a passion she cherished before fully embracing her legal career.
In 2017, she faced an impeachment motion brought by the ruling coalition, which accused her of bias and exceeding her authority in matters such as the appointment of a police chief. Despite these political challenges, she retained her reputation as an independent and reform-minded judge.
