The rise of Nepal’s first woman Prime Minister

“There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.” This quote by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin , makes a lot of sense in contemporary Nepal, as the night of September 12, 2025 was marked as a landmark day in Nepal’s political history, most significantly for the country having a woman prime minister for the first time. Though we already had a woman president, Bidya Devi Bhandari , her role was mostly limited to being a ceremonial head, with hardly any decision-making authority. Bhandari was also considered President, in many ways, not for her political prowess but more of a ‘soft corner’ being the widow of the ‘People’s Leader’ Madan Bhandari , the deceased popular communist leader. This time, the former Chief Justice Sushila Karki, known for her bold stances in anti-corruption initiatives, as the new Prime Minister appointee, now has both the responsibility and the authority to decide the country’s future in this critical juncture, leading the interim government, after the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly.

Nepal had long-waited for a woman Prime Minister, but the appointment of Sushila Karki as the first woman Prime Minister came with a hefty price to pay. A peaceful protest by GenZ, which was undermined throughout its announcement, turned out to be the most dreadful event in the event, shaking the entire country, leading to over 70 deaths and scores injured. The incident also left behind the country’s governance system with chaos and havoc throughout as the violent acts also resulted in burning down administrative buildings, houses of the leaders and politicians, business houses filled Kathmandu valley with fumes and smog. A bitter scenery was a burning Singhadurbar, a palace symbolizing national administration from the last 117 years, the Parliament, a center witnessing the democratic constitutionalism and the Supreme court, a place with the hope for justice burned down one-by-one that further burned down the hearts and hopes of average Nepalis.