KATHMANDU: Nepal's new leader pledged Sunday to address protesters' demands to "end corruption" as she started her term as interim prime minister, following "Gen Z" youth protests that removed her predecessor.
Sushila Karki, the 73-year-old former chief justice, has been assigned to restore order and handle protesters' demands for a corruption-free future ahead of elections in six months.
The protests started on Monday, triggered by a ban on social media, and quickly intensified as parliament and major government buildings were set on fire, fueling longstanding economic problems in Nepal.
"We have to work according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation," Karki said in her first public comments since taking office on Friday.
"What this group is demanding is the end of corruption, good governance, and economic equality," she added. "You and I have to be determined to fulfil that."
'From the streets'
Karki held a minute's silence on Sunday for those killed in the unrest, before meetings began in the key government complex of Singha Durbar -- where several buildings were set on fire during mass protests on Tuesday.
At least 72 people were killed in two days of protests and 191 injured the government's chief secretary Eaknarayan Aryal said Sunday, increasing an earlier toll of 51.
It was the worst unrest since the end of a decade-long civil war and the abolition of the monarchy in 2008.
Karki, known for her independence, was appointed after intense negotiations by army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel and President Ram Chandra Paudel, including talks with representatives of "Gen Z," the loose umbrella term for the youth protest movement.
Thousands of young activists had used the Discord app to name Karki as their choice of leader.
"The situation that I have come in, I have not wished to come here. My name was brought from the streets," Karki said.
"We will not stay here more than six months in any situation, we will complete our responsibilities and pledge to hand over to the next parliament and ministers," she added, in a speech to the nation.
Parliament has been dissolved and elections set for March 5, 2026.