Six months after a wave of Gen Z-led protests shook political elites across the Global South, movement organizers are finding that toppling governments is easier than governing. While activists in nations like Nepal, Bangladesh, Morocco, and Madagascar successfully forced change, they now face the challenge of building viable political alternatives.
Nepal represents the most immediate success for these movements. Last week, 35-year-old former rapper and Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah became the youngest prime minister in the country’s history. His administration immediately signaled a shift in accountability by placing former prime minister KP Sharma Oli in police custody following a commission report on the violent suppression of last year’s protests.
Despite the rapid rise to power, supporters and observers question how the new government will address deep-seated economic issues. The administration has yet to release a concrete plan for tackling the unemployment crisis that forces nearly 2,000 Nepalese citizens to seek work abroad every day.
The challenge of moving from protest to policy
Feyzi Ismail, a lecturer in global politics and activism at Goldsmiths University of London, notes the difficulty of the transition. "He doesn't do very many interviews – he doesn't really inspire confidence in that way," Ismail said regarding Prime Minister Shah. "But he really needs to come up with a very clear plan of action about what he's going to do to address these issues in concrete terms."
The political honeymoon is already being tested by external pressures. The escalating conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran has triggered a spike in energy costs, further straining the economy and threatening the income of migrant workers that the country relies upon.
These movements, which often relied on social media and decentralized leadership to mobilize, now find themselves navigating the rigid structures of the institutions they once fought. As the initial fervor of the demonstrations fades, leaders must prove they can manage state bureaucracies and deliver on promises of wealth redistribution and anti-corruption reform.
