Normalcy returned to the streets of Nepal on Thursday as ‘Gen Z’ began restoration work in various areas. The protestors have demanded the dissolution of parliament and talks remain underway to select an interim leader for the country. Various Gen-Z factions appear to be backing different contenders for the role — with three names surfacing over the past three days. The latest name to surface was former Nepal electricity board CEO Kulman Ghising — mere hours after reports indicated that former Chief Justice Sushila Karki had been persuaded to step into the role.
Who are the three frontrunners?
Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah ‘Balen’ had been the first name suggested as successor to KP Sharma Oli. The Kathmandu mayor had been a vocal supporter of the youth-led Gen Z movement and emerged as a representative figure amidst the turmoil. He had also urged the protesters to exercise restraint and avoid further loss of life and damage to property after Oli resigned. Former chief justice Sushila Karki was also projected as a contender for the role — with many including Shah throwing his weight behind the nomination. He had also voiced support for the formation of an interim government and planned elections.
Source-based reports had also suggested on Wednesday that Army Chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel had spent hours persuading Karki to step in as Chief Executive of Nepal. According to an Indian Express Report, he had driven to her house around 2:00 am on Wednesday and insisted that she would be the most appropriate person to lead the interim government. Karki had been reluctant to take up the role but reportedly agreed 15 hours later as the GenZ groups made a formal request.
It would now appear that the decision has not yet been finalised — with former electricity board CEO Kulman Ghising becoming the latest name to do the rounds. Source told Hindustan Times that Nepal Preisdent Ram Chandra Paudel had penned a letter to the GenZ protesters stressing the need to finalise a name. The onus remains on these representatives so that they cannot ‘blame’ the President or the Army later.
Who is Kulman Ghising?
The former Managing Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority has emerged as a possible candidate for the interim PM role. He is widely recognized for ending a long-standing power outage crisis in Nepal that had involved scheduled daily load-shedding of up to 18 hours for decades. Ghising was abruptly removed from his position — merely four months before retirement — by the previous KP Sharma Oli government.
The electrical engineer had studied at the Regional Institute of Technology in Jamshedpur, India before earning a master’s degree in power systems engineering from Pulchowk Engineering College in Nepal.