Ex-Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli makes first public appearance since resignation following unrest

Former Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Saturday made his first public appearance, days after resigning from as the Himalayan nation’s premier following the Gen Z protests. Oli, the chairperson of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), attended a public event organised by Rashtriya Yuwa Sangh, the student wing of the CPN-UML, in Bhaktapur.    

Oli attending the event is seen as a strategic move to connect with the party’s youth wing, who have been critical of how the former prime minister handled the Gen Z protests in the country. However, the CPI-UML chairperson has defended his actions, while noting that his government never allowed the police to shoot the protesters. 

Oli, 73, has also slammed those who vandalised public properties during the agitation, saying it was done ‘deliberately’ by the protesters. “The government never ordered police to shoot at protesters. Investigations must determine who used automatic weapons that the police did not have,” Oli said last week.    

Over 70 killed in Nepal protests

At least 74 people, mostly youth, were killed during the protests in Nepal that was initially against the government’s order to ban 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, X and YouTube. Although the order was revoked, the protests continued, leading to the collapse of the Oli government. 

The protesters were calling for transparency and reforms, with many of them even vandalising government properties, including the Singha Durbar, the Nepali Supreme Court, the Federal Parliament and the Sheetal Niwas. 

Sushila Karki becomes new PM

Following the protests, former Chief Justice Sushila Karki was appointed as the interim PM of Nepal. Karki has vowed to hold ‘free and fair’ polls in the country by March 5 next year and has said that her government has amended the existing election law through an ordinance, granting voting rights to citizens who have reached the age of 18.