Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned Tuesday after nationwide protests over corruption and a social media ban left at least 22 people dead and parliament in flames, officials said.
Oli, 73, submitted his resignation to President Ram Chandra Poudel, writing he was stepping down “to facilitate the solution to the problem and to help resolve it politically in accordance with the constitution.”
President Ram Chandra Poudel accepted the resignation and appointed Oli to lead a caretaker government until a new one is formed, though it remained unclear what authority he would have. Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak had resigned a day earlier.
The unrest began after the government blocked 26 social media platforms, including Facebook and WhatsApp, for failing to register with regulators. The ban was lifted Monday, following police gunfire that killed 19 protesters outside parliament in Kathmandu.
On Tuesday, three more deaths were reported, including Rajyalaxmi Chitrakar, wife of former Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal, who died after protesters set her home ablaze.
Since the protests began, crowds have set fire to parliament, government offices, and the homes of senior leaders, including President Poudel, Nepali Congress chief Sher Bahadur Deuba, and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, according to the Associated Press.
Nepal’s parliament ENGULFED in flames — built in 1903 as the PM’s residence
Protesters broke into the building, looted it, and set it on fire
Singha Durbar (Lion’s Palace) is the largest palace in Asia pic.twitter.com/liBH5sG99e
— RT (@RT_com) September 9, 2025
🚨 BREAKING: Nepal 🇳🇵 President Ram Chandra Poudel house lit on fire by protestors.#NepalProtests #GenZProtest pic.twitter.com/ZqEOzLk76t
— Karma 覚 (@iambhutia) September 9, 2025
Local media reported that other government officials were fleeing their residences via army helicopter amid the ongoing protests.
Beyond the social media ban, the protests, led mainly by young Nepalis, were driven by the viral campaign against “nepo kids,” criticizing politicians’ children for flaunting privilege.
Oli, 73, has served as Nepal’s prime minister four times, including from 2015 to 2016 and 2018 to 2021. He was briefly reappointed in 2021 and began his most recent term in July 2024, becoming the fifth prime minister in five years.
