‘Dissolve Parliament, amend Constitution’: What Nepal Gen-Z demands as groups differ on interim leader
Diwakar Dangal, Amit Baniya, and Junal Dangal — all key representatives of the movement — addressed the press. They warned political parties against trying to exploit the unrest.
A member of the Nepalese army stands guard on the street of Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The Gen-Z group that spearheaded the anti-government protests in Nepal — leading to the collapse of the KP Sharma Oli government — has demanded the dissolution of Parliament and an overhaul of the Constitution. Their demands came as the death toll from two days of violent demonstrations climbed to 34.
At a press meet in Kathmandu, Gen-Z representatives stressed that dialogue and cooperation were essential to resolve the ongoing crisis. Even as the press conference was held, some leaders from the movement were in discussions with President Ramchandra Paudel and Army Chief Ashok Raj Sigdel at Army headquarters.
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Diwakar Dangal, Amit Baniya, and Junal Dangal — all key representatives of the movement — addressed the press. They warned political parties against trying to exploit the unrest.
“This is purely a civilian movement, so don’t try to play politics with this,” one activist said.
Dangal spoke of the stakes for Nepal: “There is a challenge in front of us to protect national sovereignty, unity, and maintain self-respect. We all Nepalese should unite in this difficult situation to protect the welfare and interests of the Nepalese people.”
The representatives added that while they were not calling for a complete scrapping of the Constitution, amendments were needed to reflect the people’s demands.
“We don’t intend to scrap the constitution, but we want some major amendments to include people’s concerns,” one activist noted.
Some in the movement expressed support for former chief justice Sushila Karki as a potential Prime Minister, while others pitched for former Nepal Electricity Authority chief Kulman Ghising. But activists made it clear they had no intention of assuming power themselves. “We will not participate in the government, but rather we want to remain as a watchdog,” said one leader.
They also addressed the violence that rocked the country during the protests. “We had called for a peaceful protest, but the political cadres caused the arson and then vandalised the infrastructure,” an activist said.
The protests, driven largely by anger over corruption and economic stagnation with the catalyst being the social media ban, have left at least 34 dead and more than 1,000 injured in clashes with security forces across Nepal.
A member of the Nepalese army stands guard on the street of Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
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