Chaos in Kathmandu: GenZ protests push Nepal to the brink – its fragile history of abrupt regime changes

Nepal plunged into political turmoil on Tuesday as violent protests swept across Kathmandu and other cities, leaving at least 21 people dead and prompting Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s resignation. What began as a youth-led demonstration against corruption and a controversial social media ban quickly escalated into one of the largest anti-government movements the Himalayan nation has seen in recent years.

The protests, largely led by Gen Z activists, erupted after the government banned 26 social media platforms, including Facebook and X, citing their failure to register with state authorities. Students and young professionals denounced the move as an assault on free expression, accusing Oli’s government of corruption and heavy-handedness. Demonstrators defied curfews, torching vehicles, blocking roads, and even attacking the private residences of top politicians, including the President.


Faced with mounting pressure, Oli tendered his resignation on Tuesday, citing “extraordinary circumstances” and calling for a “constitutional and political” resolution. His decision came hours after furious protesters stormed his Balkot residence and set it ablaze.

A nation at crossroads

This is not the first time Nepal has faced such chaos. The country’s modern political history has been defined by repeated swings between autocracy and fragile experiments with democracy. Until the mid-18th century, Nepal was a patchwork of rival kingdoms before Prithvi Narayan Shah unified it under the Shah dynasty. This was until a pro-democracy movement in 1951 reinstated parliamentary governance.

The experiment was short-lived. King Mahendra dissolved parliament in 1960, banning political parties and replacing democracy with the “panchayat” system of royal rule. Only in 1990, after another mass movement, did Nepal restore multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy. But instability persisted. A decade-long Maoist insurgency from 1996 to 2006 left thousands dead and eroded trust in the monarchy. The 2001 royal massacre, in which King Birendra and much of the royal family were killed, plunged the country further into crisis.

By 2008, the monarchy was abolished altogether, and Nepal declared itself a federal democratic republic. A new constitution in 2015 promised stability through federalism, but coalition governments and fragile alliances have kept the country politically fractured. The 2022 elections produced a hung parliament, and Oli, a dominant but divisive figure, returned to office in 2024 for the fourth time.

Democracy under pressure

The latest unrest has exposed how brittle Nepal’s democracy remains. The Gen Z movement has tapped into widespread resentment over corruption, economic stagnation, and the perception that political elites are more focused on personal gain than governance.

For Nepal, which has cycled through monarchy, insurgency, and republic in less than two decades, the path forward remains uncertain. The current protests may prove to be another turning point in its turbulent democratic journey – either reinforcing the fragile institutions painstakingly built since 2008, or exposing once again how easily they can unravel.