Nepal's First Female PM Sushila Karki Appoints New Cabinet

Kathmandu, Sep 15 (PTI) Three ministers appointed by Nepal's caretaker Prime Minister Sushila Karki will be sworn in on Monday. Karki, 73, the Himalayan nation's first female prime minister, took office on Sunday. Later the same day, President Ramchandra Paudel appointed Kulman Ghising, the former managing director of Nepal Electricity Authority; Rameshwor Khanal, a former finance minister; and Om Prakash Aryal, an advocate and advisor to Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah, as ministers based on Karki's recommendation. The newly appointed ministers will take their oath at the President’s Office in Sheetal Niwas, Kathmandu, according to sources close to the president’s office. Ghising is set to lead the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Urban Development; Khanal will serve as the Minister for Finance, and Aryal has been given the Law and Home Affairs portfolio. Former chief justice Karki was chosen as Prime Minister at the urging of the agitating 'Gen Z' group to lead the caretaker government, which is tasked with conducting new elections on March 5, 2026. She was sworn in on September 12, concluding a period of political instability after the sudden resignation of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli. His resignation followed mass protests led by the 'Gen Z' group against a social media ban and corruption accusations. Oli stepped down last Tuesday after hundreds of demonstrators entered his office to demand his resignation. The nationwide protests claimed the lives of at least 72 people.