After weeks of silence, former Nepal PM Oli makes first public appearance since Gen-Z uprising

Former Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli stepped back into the public eye for the first time since his resignation, following weeks of intense anti-corruption Gen-Z protests that toppled the previous government.

He attended a public event organised by Rastriya Yuwa Sangh, the student wing of the CPN-UML, held in Bhaktapur.

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Oli’s return follows a period of political silence triggered by violent student demonstrations across Nepal, where young citizens took to the streets demanding greater accountability and transparency from the government and called for a power change.

The ex-PM, who had been out of sight since he resigned on September 9, was initially sheltered by the Nepal Army before being shifted to a temporary residence.

As confirmed earlier by the party’s deputy general secretary, Pradeep Gyawali, his reappearance follows a meeting of the CPN-UML party secretariat.

Oli’s re-emergence comes close to three weeks since violent countrywide protests by Gen Z protesters. The student and youth-led protests quickly snowballed into Nepal’s deadliest day since the 2006 pro-democracy movement.

Though he did not address the protests directly during his appearance, Oli’s return is being closely watched amid ongoing political uncertainty.

Nepal’s Gen Z protests

At least 21 protesters, who were predominantly students, were killed on September 8. The next day, 39 deaths were reported, including 15 due to severe burns, while another 14 deaths were reported in the subsequent ten days. The death toll is currently at 74.

The protests erupted near the federal parliament, with demonstrators calling for transparency and reform.

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In response, police forces used water cannons, tear gas, and live ammunition, even firing from within the parliament building after protestors breached the gates and set the entrance ablaze.

Following the violence, Oli resigned and was succeeded as interim prime minister by former Chief Justice Sushila Karki, who was elected by the Gen-Z protestors on Discord.