Nepal interim government: PM Sushila Karki unveils new cabinet; Kulman Ghising among new ministers

Nepal’s interim prime minister has announced her first cabinet appointments, in a move to stabilise the country after violent youth-led demonstrations forced the previous government out.At a ceremony held outdoors beside the torched presidential office, President Ram Chandra Paudel swore in three senior ministers on Monday in an event that was carried live on television.Among the new ministers, lawyer Om Prakash Aryal, recognised for his work on corruption, governance and human rights, will lead the home, law, justice and parliamentary affairs portfolio.Kulman Ghising, who is credited for ending years of crippling power cuts as head of the Nepal Electricity Authority, will oversee energy, infrastructure, transport and urban development, reported AFP. The former finance secretary Rameshwor Khanal, a renowned economist, takes charge of the finance ministry, confronting unemployment that affects one in five Nepalis aged 15 to 24. According to World Bank data, the country’s GDP per capita stands at only $1,447.Sushila Karki, 73-year-old former chief justice now serving as prime minister, faces the task of steering the country towards elections in March while addressing calls for clean governance.The crisis began on September 8, when a ban on social media set off mass demonstrations that tapped into years of economic frustration. Crowds torched parliament and other government buildings as anger spread, in scenes not seen since the end of the civil war and abolition of the monarchy in 2008. Government figures put the death toll at 72 over just two days, with another 191 still in hospital, as per an AFP report.Karki’s elevation followed behind-the-scenes talks led by army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel and President Paudel, who also engaged with “Gen Z” activists. Thousands of young protesters had used Discord to push her candidacy.She admitted on Sunday that she had “not wished” to take the post, but that her “name was brought from the streets”. Karki pledged her administration would work “according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation”, saying young people wanted “the end of corruption, good governance and economic equality”.