Nepal's king to let elections `activate democratic process'

Nepal's King Gyanendra yesterday announced municipal elections to "activate the democratic process" following strong international criticism of his seizure of power over two months ago.

"In view of the improving law and order situation [since the royal takeover], there should not be any delay in activating the democratic process," Gyanendra said in a speech that marked the Nepali New Year.

"We have, therefore, commanded the election commission to conduct municipal elections," he said in a state radio address.

Emergency rule

The speech was Gyanendra's first nationwide address since he fired the government and imposed emergency rule on Feb. 1 to combat a growing Maoist insurgency in the poverty-stricken country.

The king, who has pledged to restore democracy within three years, said he had ordered municipal elections in the country's 58 municipalities before mid-April next year.

The Nepali calendar year runs from mid-April to mid-April.

Pressure

Gyanendra has been under heavy international pressure to re-establish democracy. India and Britain have suspended military aid and the US has threatened to follow suit.

Opposition critics said the king was playing political games with his promise of municipal polls.

"We do not support him in any of his political games," said Jhala Nath Khanal, a senior leader of the Nepal Communist Party-United Marxist and Leninist, which belonged to the sacked coalition government.

"Calling for local elections without holding parliamentary elections is meaningless," said Tribhuvan University professor Kapil Shrestha.

Cosmetic facade

The polls "will be seen as a cosmetic facade to camouflage the lack of democracy," he said.

The king said in his speech that "everyone has experienced a steady improvement in the law and order situation" since emergency rule was imposed.

Troops and police have since 1996 been battling an increasingly deadly Maoist revolt aimed at toppling the king and installing a communist republic.

The conflict has claimed over 11,000 lives.

There has been no let-up in fighting since Gyanendra assumed absolute power and analysts say the army is ill-equipped to combat the Maoists who hold sway in many rural areas.

Yesterday the royal army announced the Maoist rebel death toll from a battle in Maoist-dominated western Nepal last week had hit 166 with the discovery of 18 more bodies.

There has been no comment from the rebels on the clash, believed to be the deadliest since Gyanendra took power.