Democracy’s Anniversary in Nepal
April 24, 2007 | Printer Friendly

Citizens are celebrating the first anniversary of the restoration of democracy in Nepal today.  It has been one year since massive public protests forced King Gyanedra to reinstate parliament after disbanding it 14 months before.  A new constitution is in the wings, but Nepal still faces several challenges to maintain stability.

According to Reuters, King Gyanedra’s absolute reign began in February 2005 when he “sacked the government…vowing to crush an anti-monarchy insurgency.”  However, hundreds of thousands of Nepalese protested in the streets last April, in what they now call the “People’s Movement.”  The King bowed to pressure a year ago, reinstated parliament, and was stripped of his powers. 

BBC News reports that although a constitutional assembly is supposed to be “elected this year and will have the task of deciding Nepal’s next form of governance,” elections for the assembly have been postponed and no date has been set.  Nepal’s peace with its Maoist rebels is also tenuous and according to the BBC the “Maoist former rebels are now in government and parliament…but many people say they are still using extortion and threats of violence, especially through their new and widely feared Young Communist League.”  The civil war with the Maoists -- which killed more than 13,000 people -- ended in November 2006 after a peace agreement was signed between the rebels and the new government.

However, the peace process and celebrations have been slightly hampered by another group “wanting regional autonomy in southern Nepal [that] has waged violent protests which have seen nearly 50 deaths,” according to BBC News.

Sources:
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL37015.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6586733.stm