Live Analysis: Nepal’s Gen Z Protests and Democratic Evolution

Swift Summary

• Nepal Prime Minister K.P.Sharma Oli steps down amidst widespread protests in the capital and other cities.
• Protests on September 8 were reportedly the deadliest in nearly two decades, leaving at least 19 people dead and over 400 injured.
• Police employed rubber bullets, tear gas, and live rounds during violent crackdowns on demonstrators opposing a controversial social media ban.
• Despite the government revoking the ban and promising an investigation into protest-related deaths, unrest continued across Nepal.
• Questions remain regarding whether protests were spontaneous or politically motivated, and uncertainty looms over leadership transition in a geopolitically critically important nation bordering India and China.