Kathmandu, Sept. 9
With the fall of KP
Sharma Oli-led government formed with the CPN-UML and Nepali Congress alliance
following a nationwide protest put forth by 'GenZ' on Monday and Tuesday, a
political void has been created amidst all institutions – with an exception of
Nepali Army and a couple of other agencies – losing political legitimacy.
Meanwhile, governments
at the provincial level have fallen and some local levels are facing extreme
situations due to arson and vandalising by the protestors. Social media posts
of many, including political analysts, expressed concerns to the fragile political
situation, lost public trust in the state institutions and lack of decisive
leadership in the part of the demonstrators. They asked a question, what next?
Since the prevailing
Constitution of Nepal doesn't imaging the situation like this, it demands out
of the book and innovative solutions that are accepted by the demonstrators and
the society at large.
"Our constitution
didn't imagine the situation whereby the prime minister resigned and the gap
created subsequently. Now, the responsibility comes upon the president to find
a way," said Krishna Khanal, a professor and political analyst.
He suggested that
President Ramchandra Paudel, in consultation with the parties of the current
struggle, should find a person to form an interim government to define the
future political course of the country.
According to Prof.
Khanal, primary concern of the institutions that have responsibility and public
trust should address the demands raised from the ground. He denied the
possibility of appointing any person from the existing political parties as the
leader of the new government. "Now the country has a challenge to find a
way that would address the demand of the people and wouldn't much disturb the
constitutional provisions," he said while adding that such a way could be
similar with the one the country adopted while extending the tenure of the
Constitutional Assembly when it failed to formulate the constitution and
dissolved in May 2012.
"We should apply
extreme caution to maintain the political order," said Prof. Khanal.
While the constitution
is not clear about the situation that erupted since Tuesday and there are no
institution of political legitimacy in the country, many have rested their
hopes with the Nepali Army.
Responsibility of Army
and President
Political analyst Dr.
Chandra Dev Bhatta said that the country shouldn't delay in forming a
transitional government that would include civil society members and
representatives of the youth protestors. Nepali Army and the President should
take initiative for it, according to him.
"The immediate
need of the country is a well-functioning government that would protect lives
and public and private property. Since the legitimacy of existing political
parties is over for now, credible institutions and persons should be brought
onboard," said Dr. Bhatta.
It is likely that the
country would be on the path of the Bangladesh – the protests, fall of the
government and formation of a government in a leadership of socially trusted
person that would include civil society members as well as the youth
protestors.
Since the
demonstrators have demanded their participation in the government, the
government is likely to have their representative(s). However, since the
leadership of the protests in Nepal – unlike Bangladesh - is not clear, the
process might see some glitches.
Likewise, former
ambassador Madhu Raman Acharya wrote on X that it would be appropriate for the
President to assume authority until an alternative arrangement is made.
"With the Prime Minister having already resigned, it would be
appropriate for the President to assume authority until an alternative
arrangement is in place and to initiate a new process for the formation of a
government in consultation with the protesters, the parties both inside and
outside Parliament, as well as civil society," he said.
Meanwhile, the
President Paudel in a statement on Tuesday evening appealed to all parties for
dialogue. "Since the demands of the citizens in a
democracy can be resolved through dialogue and negotiation with their
representatives, I appeal to all parties to exercise restraint, not harm the
country, and come to the negotiating table," reads a statement from the
Office of the President.
'Final phase of success'
Later in the evening on Tuesday, the GenZ
Alliance declared the protest to be in its 'final phase of success'.
In a statement circulated in the name of
the Alliance, they demanded the formation of an interim government by
dissolving the federal and provincial governments and hold a national GenZ
National Conference.
They also called for a judicial commission
to investigate all incidents of state oppression during the movement.
"A judicial commission will be formed
to investigate all incidents of state oppression that occurred during the
movement. Fundamental structures of the Nepal Constitution will be protected and
progressive revisions would be made," said the GenZ Alliance while adding
that during this process, they would be active in the reconstruction and
production works.
A high-level commission will be formed to
investigate and take legal action against former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli,
all party leaders, and all individuals who publicly supported them, read the
statement.
The Nepali Army in its
statement said that it is committed to protect the lives and proporty of Nepali
citizens. As the protestors vandalized and torched the public properties
including the Supreme Court, Singha Durbar, office of the Commission for the
Investigation of Abuse of Authority, ministries, offices of the provincial and
local governments and other agencies, public posts on social media condemned
such activities.
Many historic
monuments, buildings and artifacts have been turned into ashes, as a result. The
GenZ Alliance through its statement has urged its supporters to refrain from
vandalising the public property and return to safe locations.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 10 September 2025.
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