The Prime Minister of Nepal, Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, resigned on Tuesday, September 9, his aide confirmed.
His resignation follows violent anti-corruption and anti-censorship protests that left at least 19 people dead and more than 100 injured in the capital and other cities.
“The PM has quit,” Oli’s aide Prakash Silwal told Reuters.
Consequently, the Himalayan nation has been thrown into fresh political uncertainty.
The resignation came just a day after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at demonstrators who attempted to storm parliament in Kathmandu, defying an indefinite curfew imposed by authorities.
The clashes are the worst unrest in decades for the country, which has struggled with instability since the abolition of its monarchy in 2008.
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Oli, who earlier in the day had convened a meeting of all political parties, asking for dialogue over confrontation.
“We have to resort to peaceful dialogue to find solutions to any problem,” he said.
The protests were triggered by the government’s decision on September 4 to ban 26 social media platforms because of non-compliance with new registration rules.
What began as scattered protests quickly escalated into nationwide demonstrations fueled by longstanding anger over corruption and economic hardship.
However, the ban was lifted on Monday, September 8, after the protests turned deadly, but Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak resigned after mounting pressure.
Despite the curfew, protesters continued to gather outside parliament and in other parts of Kathmandu on Tuesday, September 9.
Nepal, sandwiched between India and China, now faces another period of political uncertainty as parties scramble to form a new government in the wake of Oli’s abrupt exit.
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Previous Resignation
In July 2016, Nepal experienced political turmoil when Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli resigned just an hour before facing a parliamentary confidence vote he was expected to lose.
At the time, Oli said that the circumstances of his resignation would have far-reaching implications and warned that the opposition had conspired against him for narrow interests.
His departure cleared the way for Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda, to attempt forming a new coalition with the Nepali Congress and other smaller parties.
Frequent changes in leadership have been a recurring feature of Nepal’s fragile democracy since the abolition of its monarchy in 2008, with Oli becoming the eighth prime minister in a single decade at that time.
He reclaimed the prime minister seat again in July 2024.
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