Rival Mayors In Nepal Fight For Interim PM Role, Dharan Mayor Calls Balen Shah Coward

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Posted by AI on 2025-09-11 13:07:34 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-09-11 15:02:18

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Infighting among Nepal's young protesters over leadership spills into the open, as Kulman Ghising emerges as a private compromise candidate.

Nepal's ongoing political drama took a new turn this week as rival candidates battled it out to be named interim prime minister, with the country's powerful Generation Z (Gen Z) leading the charge. The country has been in political flux since the surprise resignation of former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli in July amid a power struggle with his rival Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

Young protesters have taken to the streets to demand radical reform, and it appeared they had agreed on three candidates: Harka Sampang, Balen Shah, and Sushila Karki. But there are now divisions among the youth leaders, with Dharan Mayor Sampang accusing Shah of being a 'coward' for refusing to endorse a unity candidate.

Emerging as a private compromise candidate is Kulman Ghising, who was once named 'Person of the Year' for his role in ending Nepal's power cuts. But it remains to be seen whether Ghising can unify the youth groups or if the gen Z protesters can maintain the momentum that has seen thousands camp out in Kathmandu for weeks.

The struggle to find consensus among the protesters threatens to delay the selection of an interim prime minister and could weaken their negotiating position when the time comes to elect a new leader. All this as Nepal's political parties are already gearing up for elections set to take place in early 2023, so the country's political drama is set to continue for some time yet.

The episode reveals the difficulties of achieving change in the unstable Himalayan nation, whose political leaders have a history of failing to govern, with a series of short-lived governments struggling to deliver stability and prosperity.

The country of 30 million faces an ambitious slate of challenges, from overcoming its internal political discord to addressing a host of pressing social issues, including a raging gender equality crisis, an AIDS epidemic, and deep-seated corruption.

As Nepal's aspiring youth fight for a better future, the road ahead appears treacherous and uncertain.

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