Kulman Ghising, former chief of Nepal Electricity Authority, is emerging as a frontrunner for interim Prime Minister after K.P. Sharma Oli’s resignation, with strong backing from Gen-Z protesters.
Ghising is celebrated for ending Nepal’s crippling 18-hour daily power cuts in 2016 and transforming the country’s energy sector, though his independent approach led to clashes with politicians.
Former Chief Justice Sushila Karki was earlier considered, but constitutional hurdles, age concerns, and divisions within the protest camp have shifted momentum toward Ghising.
Nepal’s leadership vacuum following Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli’s resignation has set off an intense debate over who should steer the country through its current crisis. While the name of former Chief Justice Sushila Karki initially dominated discussions, the spotlight has now shifted to Kulman Ghising, the 54-year-old former chief of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).
Accoridng to Nepal Times, Ghising, widely hailed as the technocrat who ended Nepal’s crippling power cuts in 2016, has been endorsed by several Gen-Z protesters who describe him as “a patriot and everyone’s favourite.” His popularity stems from his reforms during a period when Nepal endured up to 18 hours of load-shedding daily. By redistributing electricity and tightening oversight, Ghising helped the country transition from an energy-starved to a power-secure state.
However, his independent approach often clashed with political leadership, and earlier this year he was dismissed from his NEA post. Now, amid Nepal’s violent unrest — which has left dozens dead and government buildings torched — protesters are urging the army and political actors to consider him as interim prime minister.
According to Times of India, former Chief Justice Karki, though supported by Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, faces hurdles: her age, constitutional bars on ex-judges becoming PM, and divisions within the Gen-Z camp.
The Nepal Army has begun engaging protesters and stakeholders, but the process remains fraught. Demonstrators outside army headquarters demand greater transparency in leadership talks. Whether Ghising can transition from technocrat to political leader remains uncertain, but his emergence underscores the generational shift shaping Nepal’s political future.
