Kathmandu: Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli has resigned, state-run Nepal Television has confirmed. This comes after days of mass demonstrations by youth, protesting against economic disparity and alleged corruption in the government, demanding the PM step down.
Until a few hours ago, Nepal’s Information Minister had said that the government would not give in to the demand.
According to the BBC, a statement signed by PM Oli states that he has resigned to pave the way for a constitutional solution to the ongoing crisis, and his secretariat has confirmed the resignation in a statement.
The PM’s resignation comes just hours after the ban on unregistered social media sites was lifted, a key demand of the protesters, who had been using social media to vent their frustration against the government’s policies.
Earlier in the day, Nepal’s demonstrators reportedly set on fire the private residences of President Ramchandra Paudel and PM Oli in Bohratar and Balkot, alongwith party offices and buildings in Janakpur as the violent protests continued Tuesday.
Protesters broke windows, threw stones, and set fire to the building, as part of demonstrations against corruption following the deaths of at least 19 protesters on Monday.
The Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) has been fully closed following escalating demonstrations, as per news reports.
The police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. Although authorities said security forces had been instructed to exercise restraint and that no live ammunition was authorised, there were reports of gunfire and bullet injuries, as per The Himalayan Times.
As per The Kathmandu Post, protesters set fire to the house of Minister for Communication and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung, pelted stones at the residence of Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel, Nepal Rastra Bank Governor Biswo Paudel and attacked the house of former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak.
Lekhak reportedly stepped down from his post Monday evening.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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