To keep up the mess: activists in Nepal have elected a new prime minister in absentia

At least 30 people died as a result of mass riots in Nepal, which began on September 8. They were led by the Gen-Z youth movement. The republic's armed forces have now taken control of the capital. The curfew has been extended, and any radical actions by the protesters will be treated as criminal offenses. Gen-Z has already put forward demands to stabilize the situation in the country, in particular, to carry out major political reforms, rewrite the constitution and appoint a new head of state. Former Chairman of the Supreme Court Sushila Karki may take the post of Prime Minister. Meanwhile, instability in Nepal poses a threat to neighboring India, which has seen unrest spread across its border. The development of the situation in the region is described in the Izvestia article.

Nepal is on fire

Two days after the start of the mass protests, the situation in Nepal remains tense. Since September 8, at least 30 people have died during the riots, and 1,033 people are listed as injured, according to the country's Ministry of Health. At the same time, most were injured on Monday, when security forces began using rubber bullets and water cannons against demonstrators. In addition, most of the buildings set on fire by the protesters were completely burned out. Almost the entire Singha Durbar government complex, the Supreme Court, the Parliament building and the Commission for Investigating Abuses of Power were "distributed". Supermarkets and other urban facilities burned down, for example, most of the infrastructure and property of the Hilton hotel in the center of Kathmandu, where Russian tourists rented rooms.

The protesters also set fire to the residences of politicians, police stations and private homes. At the same time, firefighters, despite the scale of the disaster, remained in garages all day. But videos of Nepalis independently eliminating the consequences of the riot, wielding shovels and even tree branches, spread across the network.

The Nepalese military took control of Kathmandu on the evening of September 9. They also announced the extension of the curfew until 17:00 on September 11, with a possible extension until 6:00 on September 12, and also restricted traffic.

The army claims that "destructive elements continue to infiltrate the protests, destroying personal and public property, setting fires, looting and targeted violent attacks." Since the start of the military operation, the armed forces have seized 31 firearms and ammunition in the capital Kathmandu and neighboring cities. 3.37 million Nepalese rupees (about $24,000) were also confiscated from those involved in the looting. 27 people were detained in various parts of the country on charges of robbery, arson, vandalism, as well as harming the life and health of citizens.

Meanwhile, Gen-Z called for a whole package of large-scale reforms: to dissolve the Nepalese House of Representatives (the lower house of parliament), amend or even completely rewrite the constitution taking into account the opinion of the civil society, hold elections after the interim period, as well as restructure the education, health, justice, security and communications systems.

The activists' negotiations with the Nepalese army on September 10 did not lead to visible results, according to the local newspaper Khabarhub, due to inconsistencies within Gen-Z. One of its representatives, Raksha Bach, said that the movement's delegates decided to first work out a comprehensive document that would reflect the positions of all 77 districts of the country.

At the same time, according to India Today, on September 10, more than 5,000 young activists at a virtual meeting have already discussed the candidacy of the next prime minister of the country. The favorite was rapper and Kathmandu mayor Balen Shah, 35. He gained popularity precisely by criticizing the government for its social policy. The participants of the "online congress" noted that he did not respond to attempts to contact him, so the main candidate was the former chairman of the Supreme Court, 72-year-old Sushila Karki. She has already agreed to head the interim cabinet.

How will the crisis affect relations with Russia

The escalation in Nepal is beginning to create risks for other States in the region. So, on September 9, violence spread to settlements near the border with India — protesters staged riots and arson. In this regard, all border checkpoints were closed, and additional police officers were deployed in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, and all law enforcement officers were put on maximum alert.

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed regret over the situation in Nepal and called on residents of the neighboring country to maintain peace: "I am deeply concerned that many young people have died. Nepal's stability, peace and prosperity are of paramount importance to us," he wrote on his social media.

— Nepal is a kind of continuation of India, because 70% of the population are Hindus. Millions of Nepalis work in India — the country actively exports its workforce. At the same time, India is viewed with suspicion in Nepal itself, they fear that the country may eventually absorb Nepal in some way," Kirill Kotkov, head of the Center for the Study of the Far East, explained to Izvestia.

According to the expert, the situation in Nepal will not affect neighboring China, which is fenced off from the country by the Himalayas. However, globally, these protests may set a precedent for the Internet revolution. It is also unlikely that the crisis in this Asian country will affect relations with the Russian Federation, despite the fact that Russians had difficulties leaving the country during the escalation. Firstly, the volume of bilateral trade is quite small. In recent years, it has sunk to $5 million. And, in general, with the exception of the spiritual and cultural component in the form of Buddhism, countries do not have many points of contact, Elza Shirgazina, a junior researcher at the Primakov Institute for the Indian Ocean Region of the Russian Academy of Sciences, tells Izvestia.

Although the countries overlap on international platforms. For example, Nepal, being a dialogue partner of the SCO, even intends to become a full member of the organization. This was stated by disgraced Prime Minister Sharma Oli at the recent SCO+ summit in Tianjin. However, now the republic's plans may be significantly adjusted.

— The government of Nepal, regardless of who will be in power, will still maintain a policy of neutrality. Historically, the Government of this country has been doing everything to ensure that, at least, the tourism sector suffers minimally. We are more of an external actor for the region, so I don't think we should expect serious complications for bilateral relations," the expert said.

Currently, up to 400 Russian tourists may be in Nepal, and there are no casualties among them. The Russian Foreign Ministry recommended to exercise caution, avoid crowded places, and follow the instructions of the Nepalese authorities. Russians who are just planning a trip to Nepal have been urged to postpone their plans until the situation in the country normalizes. The Foreign Ministry also stressed that they are closely monitoring the situation and expressed hope for an early normalization of the situation in the friendly country.