'Priority is peace, polls in 1 year': Ex-Chief Justice Karki after being proposed as Nepal's interim leader

Former Chief Justice Sushila Karki, whose name has been proposed to be Nepal’s interim leader, has said that her first priority would be to bring peace to the country. She further said that she would want fresh elections within a year.

In deliberations in youth groups part of the so-called Gen Z protests of Nepal, Karki has emerged as the frontrunner to be the country's interim leader. However, consensus has not yet been reached and other names, such as that of Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah, have also been put forward.

In an interview with CNN-News 18, Karki said that she would be willing to take up the role and, as Nepal’s interim leader, her priority would be to bring peace to the country and hold elections within a year.

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Karki said that she would run a purely transitional government and would hand over the government to elected leaders at the earliest.

“Fresh elections will take time — at least six months to one year. I am not a politician but just a judge, so I want a fair election. I want to hand over the responsibility as early as possible when the new government is formed,” said Karki.

Reflecting the popular rejection of Nepal’s leaders, who have failed to bring stability to the country since the abolition of the monarchy in 2008, Karki said that she would try to establish a new system in the country.

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Nepal’s ‘Gen Z protest’ has been a decentralised movement without any single leader. As a result, there is little consensus about the-day-after. There is no manifesto, common programme, or any central leadership. Moreover, the nationwide violence on Tuesday showed that the protest had slipped out of their hands. Visuals showed many men with rifles and blades attacking government buildings and setting them ablaze.

Throughout the day, mobs rampaged across the country, burning everything from the parliament, Supreme Court, Singha Durbar, media offices, and nearly every government building they could get their hands on. The Nepali Army on Wednesday said that “anarchist groups and persons” have infiltrated protests and engaged in criminal activities like looting, vandalism, and attempted rape.

‘New political party might be formed’

Karki said that a new political party might emerge out of the ‘Gen Z’ protest. She, however, added that no existing party could be stopped from contesting the upcoming elections.

Listing her priorities, Karki said the priority is to bring peace in Nepal and restore damaged buildings.

Karki further flagged food scarcity in Nepal and said that a “lot of things” need to be done for Nepal.

“I cannot fulfil the responsibility alone. It needs to be done collectively,” said Karki.

As for the current situation in Nepal, Karki said that the Army has been deployed in Kathmandu and the situation has been better today. She said the Army has controlled the situation very well.