Former Chief Justice Sushila Karki has been appointed as the Prime Minister of Nepal's interim government after days of anti-corruption protests that claimed 51 lives and forced Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign and flee his official residence in Baluwatar.
With this appointment, she has made history by becoming the first female Prime Minister of the Himalayan nation.
In line with Article 61 (4) of the Constitution, President Ram Chandra Paudel appointed Karki as the head of the interim government in consultation with the Nepal Army Chief and representatives of Gen Z who spearheaded the protests.
Article 61 (4) of the Constitution states that it shall be the primary duty of the President to uphold and protect the Constitution.
She expressed her readiness to become the Prime Minister after an agreement was reached to dissolve the Parliament.
Meanwhile, President Paudel administered the oath of office and secrecy amidst a function in Sheetal Niwas.
After the swearing in ceremony, he also congratulated the newly appointed Prime Minister.
While congratulating her, President Paudel said, "May the country succeed and may the people prosper,"
Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav, Chief Justice Prakashman Singh Raut, ambassadors of various countries, and high-ranking government officials were present in the program.
However, leaders of the parties representing in the Parliament did not take part in the oath-taking ceremoney, expressing dissatisfaction over the formation of the interim government.
Former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai was present on the occasion.
Similarly, representatives of Gen Z who were present at the swearing-in ceremony exchanged greetings and congratulated the newly appointed Prime Minister Karki.
Shortly after the swearing in ceremony, Paudel dissolved the House of Representatives, the lower House of the Federal Parliament, upon the recommendation of Prime Minister Sushila Karki.
According to a statement issued by the Office of the President, the next election of the Parliament will be held on March 5, 2026.
The Prime Minister is currently staying at her private residence due to damage caused by protesters at the Prime Minister's official residence in Baluwatar.
Nepal, which had practiced a bicameral system of legislature after the restoration of democracy in 1991, has witnessed several dissolutions of Parliament in the past.
KP Sharma Oli had dissolved the House of Representatives twice, first on December 20, 2020 and second on May 21, 2021. The Supreme Court overturned both the dissolutions.
The House of Representatives was dissolved for the first time in the country's parliamentary history on July 10, 1994.
Girija Prasad Koirala, the Prime Minister of the first elected government, dissolved Parliament after failing to endorse the policies and programs.
Writ petitions were filed in the Supreme Court against the dissolution. But all the writs were dismissed and the country went for mid-term elections.
Manmohan Adhikari, who became Prime Minister from the mid-term election, dissolved the House of Representatives on June 9, 1995.
The then Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa on January 8, 1998 and Girija Prasad Koirala in 1998 had attempted to dissolve the Parliament but to no avail.
The then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba had also dissolved the House of Representatives on September 24, 2002. The Supreme Court also upheld it, but it failed to hold the election on time.
Who is Sushila Karki?
Known as Nepal’s first woman Chief Justice, Sushila Karki is admired for her clarity of thought, firm stance, and integrity during her tenure in the judiciary.
Born on June 7, 1952 at Shankharpur-3 of Biratnagar, Morang, Karki completed her Bachelor’s Degree from the Mahendra Morang College, Biratnagar and went to Banaras Hindu University in 1975 to earn a Master’s degree in Political Science. After obtaining a Bachelor's Degree in Law from the Tribhuvan University, she entered the legal profession as an advocate on March 29, 1979.
Karki spent three years teaching at the Mahendra Multiple Campus, Morang from 1985. She took the leadership of the Nepal Bar Association (NBA) Koshi Zone for three years from 1988, and later as the head of the NBA at the Biratnagar Appellate Court.
She received the title of senior advocate on December 20, 2004, and was appointed as a temporary judge of the Supreme Court on January 22, 2009. She became a permanent judge of the Supreme Court on November 18, 2010.
Karki served as the Chief Justice of Nepal from July 11, 2016, to June 6, 2017.
In April 2017, some lawmakers had attempted to impeach Karki accusing her of breaching Constution and failing to bear her duties, but the effort failed.
