Kathmandu, Nov 1: Prime Minister Sushila Karki has made one thing clear: her only job is to hold the election on February 21. During a three-hour conversation with editors at her Baluwatar residence Friday evening, Karki said she neither wanted to be prime minister nor plans to continue after polls. “I became PM only after the President said she would call me a traitor if I refused,” she said, smiling. “I have no mission other than the election.”
Karki said coordination among the Election Commission, security agencies, and concerned ministries was going smoothly. She dismissed doubts that another government might replace hers before the vote. “I’ll finish what I started,” she said. “The polls will happen on time.”
On government decisions raising suspicion, Karki urged patience. “Don’t question the election mission,” she said, recalling how witnessing the GenZ protests’ violence moved her deeply. “That day’s horror made me speak against the then government. I didn’t know that would one day make me GenZ’s mother figure.”
She has no plan to meet the three top leaders—Oli, Deuba, and Prachanda—saying youth movements are demanding alternatives to long-time rulers. “They have been in power too long. The youth want change. Even parties must help find new faces,” she said.
While avoiding direct attacks, Karki indirectly pointed at former PM Oli when discussing Durga Prasai’s growing influence. “Durga ji has a large following in Jhapa, where old leaders are losing grip. He might even win if he contests,” she said. But she warned him and others against violence: “Peaceful protest is fine. But if weapons appear, the law will act.”
On Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah, Karki revealed regular contact but some frustration. “He calls me sister, I call him son. But he listens only to himself,” she said. “He didn’t demand the home minister’s resignation as rumored.”
Karki also made clear she and her ministers won’t contest the polls. “I won’t run. My team won’t either. We’re here to ensure fair elections,” she said, glancing at her ministers. Finance Minister Rameshwor Khanal nodded in agreement, while Energy Minister Kulman Ghising remained silent.
Defending her decision to recall 11 ambassadors appointed by the previous Oli government, Karki cited three reasons: disloyalty, financial irregularities, and poor performance. “Some even told host countries this government won’t last. We couldn’t let that pass,” she said. She praised three female ambassadors for good work, adding that India’s envoy was spared because “we found no issue there.”
Rejecting claims of foreign pressure, Karki said she hadn’t hosted any foreign envoys at Baluwatar. The only exception was a formal request to the German ambassador to expedite passport printing. “We have only 170,000 passports left, and demand grows by 6,000 daily. If this runs out, migrant workers could riot,” she said.
Reflecting on the GenZ movement that brought her to power, Karki said the group has matured. “Day-one GenZ and today’s GenZ are worlds apart,” she said. “Now they speak of law and the constitution. Their understanding has deepened.” People's News Monitoring Service
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