Nepal protest leader says he will run in upcoming elections

Sudan Gurung, who roseate to prominence successful this month’s protests, tells Al Jazeera helium volition tally successful March polls, promising youth-led ‘people’s government’.

The person of Nepal’s caller youth-led protests that toppled the authorities wrong days has announced helium volition tally successful the country’s March wide elections, saying his question volition “fight till the end” to physique a people’s government.

In an exclusive interrogation with Start Here’s Sandra Gathmann, Sudan Gurung said his radical is already mobilising supporters nationwide to signifier a “movement for change” alternatively than a accepted governmental party.

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“They person dragged america into politics,” helium said astir the erstwhile authorities of “selfish” and “corrupt” politicians. “If it’s authorities they want, that’s what they’ll get. We volition beryllium moving for the adjacent predetermination due to the fact that we are not going to backmost down now.”

Gurung, 36, roseate to prominence arsenic the look of a grassroots uprising led mostly by Nepal’s Gen Z.

The demonstrations erupted aft the authorities blocked societal media platforms, including Facebook, X and YouTube, saying the companies had failed to registry and taxable to authorities oversight.

But the protests soon spiralled into broader discontent, fuelled by choler implicit alleged corruption, authorities unit and impunity. Dozens of young demonstrators were killed, and thousands much were injured.

Gurung believes his question is acceptable to govern, with volunteers forming ineligible and communications committees and gathering argumentation demands from crossed the country, done platforms specified arsenic Discord, which was used to mobilise during the protests, and Instagram.

He said his squad is moving to guarantee “that each dependable of the Nepalese radical is heard”.

‘Not scared’

Gurung is improbable to registry arsenic an autarkic candidate, and alternatively plans to tally “as a group”.

“If I conscionable tally arsenic an autarkic candidate, we won’t person this unit of youths,” helium said. “Together, we are stronger.”

The question has pledged to tally connected a wide docket beyond anticorruption. It plans connected moving to boost Nepal’s tourism sector, strengthening relations with neighbours India and China without “external interference”.

“We request to respect them, they request to respect us,” Gurung said.

He said helium does not privation to spot the aged governmental defender contesting the March ballot and urged interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki to velocity up investigations into corruption and killings of protesters.

“We’ll beryllium definite that the probe is done properly, connected time, truthful that they won’t enactment [in the elections],” Gurung said.

When asked whether helium wants to go premier curate himself, Gurung said, “I won’t accidental I americium the close idiosyncratic close present … but if the radical take me, I americium decidedly going to run.”

He besides spoke of attempts to soundlessness him, saying galore had tried to “demotivate me, they person been trying to travel me, they person [been] trying to scare me.”

Despite the intimidation, helium struck a defiant tone.

“I’m not frightened … conscionable sidesplitting maine won’t bash anything,” Gurung said. “I request to prevention my federation due to the fact that it’s present oregon never.”