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Is Nepal on the Brink of Transition?
21 April 2006
A day after three protesters were killed, Friday, April 21 brought over 100,000 people to the streets of Katmandu, defying the threat of further violence to condemn the authoritarian leadership of King Gyanendra, reports the Associated Press. In a televised statement on Friday night, Gyanendra asked the seven-party opposition alliance to choose a prime minister to assume power now, while promising that elections replacing the current government and establishing a constitutional democracy would be held ‘soon’. It was unclear, however, whether or not the compromise would be accepted. According to IBNlive.com, “The Communist Party of Nepal (UML), which was the first party to react, rejected the proposal outright.” IBNlive.com further reported that the offer was similar to previous proposals by Gyanendra, all of which were rebuffed by the opposition. The BBC reports that former prime minister and opposition leader Girija Prasad Koirala stated that he and the other opposition parties would discuss the proposal before responding.
The BBC reported that their correspondent observed, “Many are saying the king's concessions come too little, too late.”
Some reports suggest that change and transition is inevitable at this point. The Associated Press quoted the US Ambassador to Nepal, James Moriarty, as stating, “His time is running out. Ultimately the king will have to leave if he doesn't compromise. And by ‘ultimately’ I mean sooner rather than later.”
The BBC quoted a protester as stating, “We will not stop till Gyanendra is removed, completely.”
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