Factions in Nepal agree on way to dethrone ruler, end monarchy

By Binaj Gurubacharya - ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated: 12/25/07 6:42 AM

KATMANDU, Nepal — The world’s last Hindu monarchy is to be swept aside under an agreement between Nepal’s former communist rebels and its major political parties that sets the stage for the country to become a republic.

The accord may finally bring a measure of peace and stability that has long eluded this impoverished, near-feudal wonderland for backpackers and mountain climbers looking to scale Mount Everest and other peaks.

King Gyanendra has been at the center of much of Nepal’s turmoil. The widely reviled ruler headed a dynasty that for centuries held absolute sway over the country — a primacy he sought to reassert nearly two years ago when he dismissed parliament and seized dictatorial powers.

The power grab was his undoing. The resulting unrest brought his enemies together, stoked the anger of an already wary public and, as the deal signed Sunday makes clear, put Nepal on the road to becoming a republic.

The dynasty dates to 1769, when a regional ruler led an army down from the hills and conquered the ancient city of Katmandu. He established a line of kings traditionally considered reincarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu, to be venerated by their subjects.

In the following centuries, that was often the case. But Gyanendra, the 12th Shah dynasty monarch, never has enjoyed the popularity of his predecessors.

His tumultuous reign began in 2001 after a palace massacre in which the crown prince is believed to have gunned down King Birendra — Gyanendra’s older brother — and much of the royal family before killing himself.

The slaughter of 10 members of the royal family helped pierce the mystique surrounding Nepal’s royalty.

Four years later, Gyanendra dismissed Nepal’s parliament and seized total power, saying he would bring order to a chaotic political scene and quell the communist insurgency.

But the insurgency worsened, the economy faltered, and Gyanendra used heavy-handed tactics to silence the opposition, jailing opponents and banning criticism of himself, his government and the army.

As a result, the communists joined forces with the country’s main political parties to orchestrate weeks of unrest in April 2006 that ended with Gyanendra’s restoring the parliament. He has since been stripped of his powers, his command over the army and his immunity from prosecution.

That wasn’t enough for the communists, who are known as the Maoists. They ended their decade-long rebellion — a fight that killed about 13,000 people — last year and later joined the country’s interim government.

But they withdrew in September, demanding an immediate end to the monarchy. The other political parties said such action could be taken only after the election of an assembly to rewrite the constitution.

The Maoists’ move plunged Nepal into a political crisis, derailing plans to elect the assembly and threatening its transition to democracy.

Sunday’s deal brings the Maoists back into the government by agreeing to eliminate the king once the assembly is elected, possibly in the first half of next year.