Nepal’s Discord Election: Gen Z Anti-Corruption Protests

By Molly Lukas

On September 4th, the Nepalese government abruptly banned 26 social media platforms, citing concerns about “national stability.” The move followed a viral online trend exposing so-called “Nepo Kids”: the privileged children of ruling-party officials flaunting their wealth on Instagram and TikTok. Photos of designer handbags and luxury getaways spread rapidly, sparking outrage in a country where, according to the World Bank, youth unemployment reached 20.8% in 2024.

Harvey, L. (2025). Gen Z protesters are uniting behind a manga pirate flag. [online] CNN.

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What began as online frustration soon spilled into the streets. Thousands of demonstrators, many of them university students, gathered across Kathmandu to denounce government corruption and inequality. Initially peaceful, the protests turned violent after fires

broke out at the parliament building, the headquarters of the Nepali Congress Party, and the home of former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN).

By September 10th, the army had imposed a nationwide curfew. Twelve days later, when calm finally returned, 74 people were dead and more than 2,100 were injured. Deuba resigned that same day, followed by several senior members of the CPN.

In a remarkable twist, the interim election to replace him was organized through the chat platform Discord, an online platform frequently associated with gaming. There, citizens selected Nepal’s first woman prime minister, 73-year-old Sushila Karki, a respected former chief justice known for her independence and anti-corruption rulings. Sworn in on September 12th, Karki pledged to “restore transparency and rebuild public trust” in the country’s battered institutions.

Since taking office, Karki’s caretaker government has focused on reconstructing damaged infrastructure and convening a judicial inquiry into the violence. General elections are scheduled for March 5th, 2026, which many observers see as a pivotal test of Nepal’s fragile democracy.

For now, the internet remains dark, but the uprising has underscored the paradox of a nation caught between digital censorship and digital democracy, where even a banned platform became the tool for political renewal.

SOURCES:

Why GenZ has taken over the streets in Nepal

How Nepal’s enraged Gen Z turned Discord into a political arena