Nepal’s army is in talks with protesters to pick an interim leader for the Himalayan nation, after violence that removed the government of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, according to an army spokesperson.

 

 

 

Soldiers were patrolling the quiet streets of the capital Kathmandu for a second day on Thursday following the worst protests in decades, triggered by a social media ban that authorities rolled back after deadly protests this week.

 

 

 

 

 

Nepal’s President Ramchandra Paudel has said he is seeking an end to the crisis engulfing the country.

 

 

 

 

“I am consulting and making every effort to find a way out of the current difficult situation in the country within the constitutional framework,” Paudel said in a statement. “I appeal to all parties to be confident that a solution to the problem is being sought as soon as possible to address the demands of the protesting citizens.”

 

 

 

Paudel also urged Nepalis to “practice restraint and cooperate to maintain peace and order in the country”.

 

 

 

Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet told the Reuters news agency earlier on Thursday that “initial talks are on and would continue today,” referring to the discussions on an interim leader. “We are trying to normalise the situation slowly.”

 

 

 

Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride, reporting from Kathmandu, said “there is an uneasy calm here on the streets.

 

 

 

 

 

“It does feel like an uneasy standoff at times because things are still extremely tense” as crowds gather routinely in front of the military headquarters before being pushed back by soldiers, he added.

 

 

 

Former Chief Justice Sushila Karki, who was Nepal’s first woman appointed to the job in 2016, is reportedly the frontrunner for interim leader, with her name suggested by many of those leading the protests.

 

 

 

“We see Sushila Karki for who she truly is – honest, fearless, and unshaken,” said Sujit Kumar Jha, 34, a supporter of the agitation. “She’s the right choice. When truth speaks, it sounds like Karki.”

 

 

 

Karki, 73, has given her consent, but efforts are being made to find a constitutional route to appoint her, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.