Sawt Falasteen - Nepal ex-chief justice tipped to lead political transition

The army has imposed a curfew to restore order in the Himalayan nation of 30 million people, after the worst violence in two decades ousted the government and left parliament ablaze on Tuesday.

Army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel held talks with key figures and "representatives of Gen Z" on Wednesday, a military spokesperson said, referring to the loose umbrella title of the protest movement.

"Right now, Sushila Karki's name is coming up to lead the interim government -- we are now waiting for the president to make a move," said Rakshya Bam, an activist who was among those at the meeting.

- 'Competing interests' -

Demonstrations began on Monday in Kathmandu against the government's short-lived ban on social media and over corruption, with at least 19 people killed in the crackdown.

A day later, protests escalated into an outpouring of rage nationwide, with government offices, a major hotel and other buildings set on fire. In the chaos, more than 13,500 prisoners broke out of jail.

"We discussed with the army chief about the future," Bam told AFP.

"The conversation was about how we can move forward, keeping the peace and security of the country."

Karki, 73, an academic and Nepal's first woman Supreme Court chief justice, has told AFP that "experts need to come together to figure out the way forward", and that "the parliament still stands".

Constitutionally, 80-year-old President Ramchandra Paudel should invite the leader of the largest parliamentary party to form a government.

But much of the political old guard has vanished from view.

The protesters' backing of Karki is not unanimous.

In a virtual meeting on platform Discord that was attended by thousands on Wednesday, activists debated who should represent them, with several names floated.

There were conflicting arguments and several names proposed.

"There are divisions," journalist Pranaya Rana said.

"It is natural in a decentralised movement like this that there are going to be competing interests and competing voices."

- 'New mandate' -

Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old former engineer and rapper, was also among the names suggested as potential interim leader.

But Shah said in a post on Facebook that he "fully supports the proposal" to push Karki as the candidate.

"The job of this interim government is to hold elections, to give a new mandate to the country," he added.

Soldiers patrolled the streets of the capital for a second day on Thursday, which appeared to be quiet, with multiple army checkpoints set up along the streets.

Restrictions on movement were briefly lifted on Thursday morning to allow people to collect food and for essential workers.

Communist party veteran KP Sharma Oli, 73, a four-time prime minister, resigned Tuesday in the face of protests. His whereabouts are unknown.

His former coalition ally, 79-year-old Sher Bahadur Deuba of the Nepali Congress –- a five-time prime minister -- has not been seen since unrest erupted.

W.AbuLaban--SF-PST