Not Balendra Shah, But Former CJI May Be Nepal's Interim Chief — Here's What The Army Head Did

As Nepal grapples with a power vacuum following the collapse of the K P Sharma Oli government after days of violent protests, the question of who will steer the country through an interim phase has taken centre stage.

Army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel appears to have found a consensus candidate in former Chief Justice Sushila Karki, Nepal’s first woman to hold the top judicial post.

According to reports, General Sigdel spent the last two days in marathon consultations with protest leaders, largely from the youth-driven “Gen Z” movement, and political stakeholders.

After late-night discussions, he personally visited Karki’s residence in 0Dhapasi around 2 am on Wednesday (11 September), urging her to accept the role of interim Chief Executive. Initially reluctant, Karki reportedly gave her assent nearly 15 hours later when the protest groups themselves endorsed her name.

Her candidacy received a further boost when Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah, a popular figure whose name had also been floated as a possible interim leader, backed Karki for the post.

For General Sigdel, the priority now is to stabilise the country and prevent further chaos. His talks have focused on three immediate tasks: restoring law and order, finalising a common minimum programme, and putting an interim administration in place by the end of the week.

The Army has, for the first time since the abolition of monarchy in 2008, stepped directly into the political arena, this time with the backing of both mainstream parties and the protest groups.

While Karki emerges as the frontrunner, the fact that her selection has broad-based approval, from the Army, the Gen Z movement, and even rival political camps, makes her the most viable choice.

The interim chief’s mandate will likely include working alongside the Army to deliver a new Constitution, with the current 10-year-old charter widely dismissed as obsolete.

Other names, such as Balendra Shah, remain in circulation, but for now, the momentum seems firmly behind Karki, who could soon be at the helm of Nepal’s interim experiment.