In This Article
30-Second Summary
Headline Links: Nepali dynasty abolished
Video: 'Nepal Prepares to Become a Republic'
Background: The election, parties and women voters
Historical Context: Nepal and the civil war
Opinion & Analysis: “Nepal’s Perilous Ascent”
Related Topic: “Bhutan Votes in First-Ever National Election”
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A prorepublic supporter jumps in glee after setting fire to an effigy of King Gyanendra and
stamping upon it outside the International Convention Center, Nepal (AP).
stamping upon it outside the International Convention Center, Nepal (AP).
Nepali King Dethroned, Ending 239-Year-Old Monarchy
May 29, 2008 06:04 AM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Holding true to campaign promises, Nepal’s newly elected Maoist government has made the country a republic and has given King Gyanendra 15 days to vacate the palace.
30-Second Summary
Amid cheering from Maoists supporters and a doleful King Gyanendra, Nepal was officially declared the world’s newest republic on Wednesday.
The deposed sovereign has just over two weeks to vacate the 1970s palace, which is to become a museum, declared the Maoist-majority parliament, elected in April.
Only four members of the national assembly voted against a proposal to force Gyanendra to abdicate in favor of what was termed “an independent, indivisible, sovereign, secular and an inclusive democratic republic nation.”
Three bombs, suspected to have been planted by royalists, were found in capital city Kathmandu on Wednesday.
Some fundamentalist Hindus believe that the king of Nepal is a reincarnation of the god Vishnu. According to the AP, however, King Diapendra’s slaughter of several palace members in 2001 “helped pierce the mystique” held by the dynasty. Gyanendra then rose to the throne, although rumors that the new king was involved in the mass murder did not help his popularity.
In the name of quelling the Maoist insurgency, his dissolution of Nepal’s civil government in 2005 only heightened the fighting that was wracking the Himalayan countryside.
Nepal had been embroiled in a bloody civil war since 1996, when the Maoists, opposed to the constitutional monarchy, attempted to form a one-party communist republic. The war resulted in more than 12,000 deaths, and close to 100,000 displaced persons.
Gyanendra wound up restoring the government in 2006, bringing in Maoist leaders for peace talks. His power then began to wane.
In December 2007 the Maoists and the ruling Parliamentary alliance decided that the monarchy would be terminated after the 2008 elections.
Today, the country that boasts one of the world’s greatest natural wonders—Mount Everest—ranks as one of the poorest nations.
The deposed sovereign has just over two weeks to vacate the 1970s palace, which is to become a museum, declared the Maoist-majority parliament, elected in April.
Only four members of the national assembly voted against a proposal to force Gyanendra to abdicate in favor of what was termed “an independent, indivisible, sovereign, secular and an inclusive democratic republic nation.”
Three bombs, suspected to have been planted by royalists, were found in capital city Kathmandu on Wednesday.
Some fundamentalist Hindus believe that the king of Nepal is a reincarnation of the god Vishnu. According to the AP, however, King Diapendra’s slaughter of several palace members in 2001 “helped pierce the mystique” held by the dynasty. Gyanendra then rose to the throne, although rumors that the new king was involved in the mass murder did not help his popularity.
In the name of quelling the Maoist insurgency, his dissolution of Nepal’s civil government in 2005 only heightened the fighting that was wracking the Himalayan countryside.
Nepal had been embroiled in a bloody civil war since 1996, when the Maoists, opposed to the constitutional monarchy, attempted to form a one-party communist republic. The war resulted in more than 12,000 deaths, and close to 100,000 displaced persons.
Gyanendra wound up restoring the government in 2006, bringing in Maoist leaders for peace talks. His power then began to wane.
In December 2007 the Maoists and the ruling Parliamentary alliance decided that the monarchy would be terminated after the 2008 elections.
Today, the country that boasts one of the world’s greatest natural wonders—Mount Everest—ranks as one of the poorest nations.
Headline Links: Nepali dynasty abolished
Nepali Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said, "We have entered a new era today," and that the country's status as the world's newest republic was "the dream of the whole nation."
Source: The Arizona Daily Star (AP)
Former Maoist rebel Kamal Dahal said, "This is the people's victory—with today's declaration of a republic we have achieved what we fought for."
Source: The BBC
Video: 'Nepal Prepares to Become a Republic'
Thousands took to the streets of Nepali capital Kathmandu, chanting on May 28, now known unofficially in the country as "Republic Day."
Source: YouTube
Background: The election, parties and women voters
According to Indian national paper The Hindu, as of April 12, results showed The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) “leading in a majority of the 50 constituencies;” the Maoists “seem to have encroached deep into the Left vote bank and are likely to give a huge setback to the Communist Party of Nepal (UML).”
Source: The Hindu
The April vote was “a mix of direct elections and a nationwide proportional representation system with quotas for women and myriad ethnic and caste groups. “The primary parties have said they would end the 239-year-old monarchy at the opening assembly meeting, even though King Gyanendra “still has supporters in the army and among some Hindus who see him as the incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu.”
Source: Boston NBC affiliate WHDH (AP)
The Economist points out the potentially troublesome outcomes for the election in Nepal. The Maoists reportedly will not accept anything less than 80 seats. Also, the parties have differing opinions over the structure of the new government, with Maoists seeking an executive president and provinces split ethnically, while the Nepali Congress party “wants a figurehead president.”
Source: The Economist
Women’s eNews writes, “under the influence of a dominant Maoist faction, the interim parliament's seven-party coalition framed an interim constitution that required parties' candidates to be 33 percent female,” a substantial number in Nepal where women traditionally have had subordinate roles. There had been reports of intimidation against women candidates.
Source: Women's eNews
Historical Context: Nepal and the civil war
Nepal has traditionally been a hereditary monarchy; when a degree of democracy was initiated in 1991, it caused factionalism and unrest. The Maoists rebellion began in the 1990s and continued for ten years, resulting in more than 12,000 deaths and displacing about 100,000 people. The government engaged in peace talks with the Maoists in 2006 and at the start of 2007, the rebels joined an interim government. The Maoists later sought the end of the monarchy, and Parliament agreed that would occur in 2008.
Source: The BBC
Reuters provides a timeline covering the start of the Maoist war through February 2008.
Source: Reuters
Opinion & Analysis: “Nepal’s Perilous Ascent”
In a New York Times op-ed, Manjushree Thapa said that she would vote in the election despite the violence: “Not that the election will resolve much. Most Nepalis recognize that it will, in fact, send our country into an era of heightened instability….Our sole consolation is the hope that we will become a democracy one day: the dream that we will free ourselves, at long last, from the autocracy of Maoism and monarchy alike.”
Source: The New York Times (free registration may be required)
Related Topic: “Bhutan Votes in First-Ever National Election”
The people of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan “reluctantly” voted in their first democratic election on March 24, even though, as a Bhutanese newspaper said, “Most of us lack a basic understanding of national issues and…we have no ideological intentions as we cast our votes.”
Source: findingDulcinea
© 2009 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
