Aljazeera :
The leader of Nepal’s recent youth-led protests that toppled the government within days has announced he will run in the country’s March general elections, saying his movement will “fight till the end” to build a people’s government.
In an exclusive interview with Start Here’s Sandra Gathmann, Sudan Gurung said his group is already mobilising supporters nationwide to form a “movement for change” rather than a traditional political party.
“They have dragged us into politics,” he said about the former government of “selfish” and “corrupt” politicians.
“If it’s politics they want, that’s what they’ll get. We will be running for the next election because we are not going to back down now.”
Gurung, 36, rose to prominence as the face of a grassroots uprising led largely by Nepal’s Gen Z.
The demonstrations erupted after the government blocked social media platforms, including Facebook, X and YouTube, saying the companies had failed to register and submit to government oversight.
But the protests soon spiralled into broader discontent, fuelled by anger over alleged corruption, state violence and impunity. Dozens of young demonstrators were killed, and thousands more were injured.
Gurung believes his movement is ready to govern, with volunteers forming legal and communications committees and gathering policy demands from across the country, through platforms such as Discord, which was used to mobilise during the protests, and Instagram.
He said his team is working to ensure “that every voice of the Nepalese people is heard”.
