00:01Shaken by deadly protests that ousted its veteran prime minister and set parliament ablaze,
00:07Nepal faces the pressing question of who will step into the political void.
00:12In the short term, the army has taken charge of the nation of 30 million people since the protests escalated.
00:20Nepali Army Chief General Ashok Raj Sigdal met with key figures and representatives of Gen Z,
00:27an army spokesman said, referring to the loose umbrella title of the young protesters, without giving further details.
00:35But analysts warn that finding a transitional arrangement that carries legitimacy with ordinary Nepalis,
00:42especially disaffected youth, may prove a thorny task.
00:47Here are the possible power brokers.
00:49Sushila Kharki, 73, a former Supreme Court Chief Justice who many see as a potential interim leader,
01:01said talks between parties were critical.
01:04Constitutionally, President Ramchandra Pordell, 80, holder of the largely simonial post,
01:10should invite the leader of the largest parliamentary party to form a government.
01:15But much of the political old guard has vanished from view.
01:20The Himalayan nation became a federal republic in 2008,
01:24after a decade-long civil war ended with a peace deal that integrated former Maoist rebels into government.
01:32It last held general elections in 2022.
01:36Nepali youth, bowed down by unemployment and limited opportunities, hit a breaking point this week.
01:47Furious at ruling class, they see as out of touch and corrupt.
01:52The protests were sparked not by a single party, but in response to the government's short-lived social media ban,
01:59which galvanized thousands of young demonstrators.
02:01Kharki, an academic who was Nepal's first female chief justice, commands respect.
02:08Others with traction among the young are Balendra Shah, 35,
02:13a rapper-turned-engineer who won Kathmandu's mayoral race in 2022.
02:18Also key is Sudan Gurung, in his 30s, a leader of youth rights group Hami Nepal.
02:25The young protesters insist they were nothing to do with the extreme violence,
02:29when government buildings and tower blocks were torched.
02:33The important thing right now is for Gen Z and this whole movement to come together and decide on a way forward,
02:40journalist Pranayarana told AFP.
02:43He warned that they should not allow their movement to be hijacked by opportunists waiting in the shadows.
02:48Communist Party veteran K.P. Sharma Oli, 73, a four-time prime minister, resigned in the face of protests.
03:01His whereabouts are unknown.
03:04His former coalition ally, 79-year-old Sher Bahadur Duba of the Nepali Congress,
03:10a five-time prime minister, has not been seen since unrest erupted.
03:14Oli had struck a deal with Duba to share power during the current parliamentary term,
03:20but both men have now been swept aside by public fury.
03:28Nepal's monarchy ended in 2008 when Ghiyanendra Shah was forced from power,
03:34ending 240 years of royal rule.
03:37Some public support for the deposed king has since grown,
03:42in tandem with dissatisfaction with ruling politicians.
03:46But despite the extraordinary speed of political events this month,
03:50his return remains unlikely.
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