Former chief justice Sushila Karki was sworn in as Nepal's interim prime minister on Friday, becoming the first woman to lead the country after deadly anti-graft protests forced Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to resign.

President Ramchandra Paudel administered the oath of office to Karki at the presidential palace in a ceremony broadcast live.

Karki's appointment by the president followed negotiations between Paudel, army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel and the protesters who led Nepal's worst upheaval in years.