President Poudel Appeals for Cooperation to Strengthen Democracy Through Upcoming Election

President Ram Chandra Poudel has called on all stakeholders to help ensure the success of the upcoming House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5, following the recent Gen Z protests that left 51 people dead and led to the fall of the KP Sharma Oli-led government.

In a statement issued on Saturday, President Poudel said the country has found a peaceful way out of the current difficult and volatile situation. He stressed that the Constitution, the parliamentary system, and the federal democratic republic remain secure, adding that the forthcoming election provides citizens an opportunity to advance toward a stronger democracy.

“I sincerely appeal to everyone to make wise use of this hard-won opportunity, to win the confidence of the people, remain self-disciplined, and extend full support for the successful conduct of the election,” the statement read.

President Poudel emphasized that the House of Representatives election, to be held within six months, should be viewed as a chance to further strengthen Nepal’s democratic system.

The President issued the statement a day after appointing former Chief Justice Sushila Karki as the new prime minister to lead and interim government, which is mandated to hold election on March 5 next year.

Karki was appointed prime minister after protesters burned the residences of leaders including ousted Prime Minister Oli, Sher Bahadur Deuba, Ramesh Lekhak and scores of other leaders in the wake of the police killing students during the Gen Z protest on September 8.