Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned, his aide said, as police crack down on protest against social media ban kills 19.
Oli’s government lifted the ban after protests intensified on Monday, with police firing tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters trying to storm parliament. Nineteen people were killed and more than 100 injured in the unrest.
But there was no let up in the protests on Tuesday, forcing Oli to quit and plunging Nepal into fresh political uncertainty.
The unrest is the worst in decades in the poor Himalayan country that is wedged between India and China and has struggled with political instability and economic uncertainty since protests led to the abolition of its monarchy in 2008.
“In view of the adverse situation in the country, I have resigned effective today to facilitate the solution to the problem and to help resolve it politically in accordance with the constitution,” Oli said in his resignation letter to President Ramchandra Paudel.
An aide to Paudel told Reuters the resignation had been accepted and the President had begun the “process and discussions for a new leader”.
The army posted an appeal on X asking people to “exercise restraint” since Oli’s resignation had been accepted.
Oli, 73, was sworn in for his fourth term in July last year as the country’s 14th prime minister since 2008. Two of his cabinet colleagues resigned late on Monday, saying they did not want to continue on moral grounds.
The decision came after 19 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the “Gen Z” protests on Monday against widespread corruption. The protests were triggered by the ban.
“We have withdrawn the shutdown of the social media. They are working now,” Gurung told international media outlet Reuters. All the apps were available in Nepal on Tuesday morning.
Authorities have also imposed an indefinite curfew within the Kathmandu city area, Kathmandu district administrator Chhabilal Rijal said, a move aimed at stopping any more protests.
“No protests, mass gatherings, meetings, or assemblies of people will be allowed during the curfew,” he said in a notice.
This comes after protesters called for people to participate in condolence meetings in memory of those killed in Monday’s protests.
In neighbouring Lalitpur district, authorities imposed a curfew until midnight (1815 GMT) on Tuesday.
Organisers of the protests, which spread to other cities in the Himalayan country, have called them “demonstrations by Gen Z”. They say the protests reflect young people’s widespread frustration with the government’s perceived lack of action to tackle corruption and boost economic opportunities.
The government last week decided to block access to several social media platforms including Facebook (META.O), opens new tab, a decision that fuelled anger among the young.
Officials say the shutdown was for those social media platforms that had failed to register with the government, amid a crackdown on fake IDs, misinformation and hate speech.
Also read: Nepal removes social media ban after 19 killed in protests
