Gen Z leader Rakshya Bam urges vigilance as Nepal's new government takes office

Rakshya Bam, a prominent voice of Nepal's Gen Z movement, told EL PAÍS at a Hamburg conference that young people must act as the strongest check on the newly elected administration.

During an interview at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference, Rakshya Bam reflected on the historic protests that led to the fall of K.P. Sharma Oli’s government and the subsequent rise of a Gen Z-driven activism wave. Although the movement has split, with some members collaborating with ministries and others continuing street monitoring, Bam insists that the generation remains the most effective opposition to Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party.

She noted the interim government led by former chief justice Sushila Karki and the recent elections that gave Shah an absolute majority. Bam called for greater accountability, citing Shah’s absence from parliament and opaque decision-making, while also urging policies that create jobs, protect Nepali workers abroad, and provide land to displaced communities. She hinted at possible future electoral ambitions and continues to work with the Nepal Gen Z Front and the Ujwal Thapa Foundation on information-access programs.