Nepal’s political transition has taken a distinctly digital turn. In the wake of weeks-long protests and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s resignation, Gen-Z activists turned to Discord, their preferred online hangout m, to pick the country’s next leader.
According to an India Today report, the Youth Against Corruption Discord server, which has over 1,30,000 members, organised a poll to choose a consensus candidate for interim prime minister.
By Wednesday, September 10, the server had settled on Sushila Karki, Nepal’s first woman chief justice, as its choice.
The South China Morning Post reported that 7,713 votes were cast before Karki crossed the 50 per cent mark in the online vote. The following day, she met President Ram Chandra Poudel and Army Chief Gen. Ashok Raj Sigdel, who endorsed her appointment.
Why Discord became the protest HQ
Gen-Z demonstrators have relied heavily on Discord to coordinate marches, share live updates, and debate strategy. Protesters say the platform offered a safer and more organised alternative to Instagram or X, which they see as noisy and vulnerable to surveillance. Unlike WhatsApp, Discord allows multiple channels for different topics, audio rooms, and voting tools, features that turned it into a hub for Nepal’s digital democracy experiment.
From judge to PM
Karki, 73, is best known for her tenure as chief justice from 2016 to 2017, when she was celebrated for her tough stance on corruption. Her appointment as interim PM has drawn comparisons to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who led Bangladesh’s caretaker government after student protests there last year.
The movement was triggered by the Oli government’s controversial ban on 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and X, to curb dissent. The ban was revoked, but protests escalated into a nationwide call for accountability. At least 51 people were killed and more than 1,300 injured before the government gave in.
Elections ahead
Nepal’s parliament has now been dissolved, with fresh elections scheduled for March 5, 2026. Karki’s interim government is tasked with stabilising the country, ensuring justice for protest victims, and setting up conditions for free and fair polls.
