Sushila Karki takes oath as Nepal's first woman prime minister

Former Chief Justice Sushila Karki took oath as Nepal's first woman prime minister on Friday, to lead an interim government, ending days of political uncertainty after the abrupt resignation by prime minister KP Sharma Oli earlier this week following wide-spread protests.

President Ramchandra Paudel administered the oath of office to Karki, 73, at the President's Office.

Besides President Paudel and the newly-elected prime minister, Vice President Ram Sahay Yadav and Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Rawat were present on the occasion.

President Paudel said the new caretaker government is mandated to hold fresh parliamentary elections within six months.

Earlier, after hectic consultations and negotiations among various stakeholders Karki's name was announced as the head of the caretaker government.

Karki was chosen to lead the interim government after a meeting between President Paudel, Nepal's top military brass, and the youth protesters, who spearheaded the anti-government protests.

A meeting held between President Paudel, the Nepal Army chief and representatives of the 'Gen Z' protesters agreed on Karki's name to head the interim government.

Soon after taking oath, Karki will form a small cabinet and at its first meeting of the cabinet, she is likely to recommend to the president dissolution of Parliament as per an understanding reached among various stakeholders, sources said.

President Paudel also consulted leaders of all major political parties, legal experts and civil society leaders separately before deciding to appoint Karki as the caretaker prime minister.

Oli quit on Tuesday following the violent youth-led agitation.

The major demands by the Gen Z protesters included checking corruption, ending political disorder, and nepotism, and lifting a ban on the social media sites. The ban was lifted on Monday night.

Earlier on Friday, Speaker of Nepal's House of Representatives Devaraj Ghimire and Chairman of the National Assembly Narayan Dahal called for resolving the ongoing political deadlock "within the framework of the Constitution".