How Nepal’s Democracy Exploded Overnight
A social media ban was the last straw. Now, over 19 are dead, the prime minister is gone, and the country is demanding a new future. Will it get it?
When the Nepal government said it was banning social media platforms — including WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, and more — on Thursday, September 4, they didn’t expect that it would be the last straw. After all, they had successfully banned TikTok in 2023, only to lift it less than a year later. This time, the country saw mass protests, which killed at least 19, before the government buckled. “We have withdrawn the shutdown of the social media,” Prithvi Subba Gurung, the IT minister, told Reuters.
But it was too little too late. Nepal, after abolishing its monarchy in 2008, has seen 14 governments, a revolving door of politicians who get voted in and out. Yet, for most Nepalis, the result is the same: few job prospects, rampant corruption, and low GDP growth for a small country that should have ample room to blossom. Now, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has resigned, Nepal’s parliament is on fire, protesters attacked the Kathmandu Post office, and the nation is once again searching for answers.