Nepal's major political parties have agreed to abolish the world's last Hindu monarchy as part of a deal to bring former communist rebels back into the government, the one-time insurgents said yesterday.
While no timetable has been set for the communists to rejoin the government, the deal, signed on Sunday, set the stage for Nepal's transition to a full republic less than two years after the country's king was forced to cede his near dictatorial powers following weeks of unrest.
The Maoists ended their decade-long rebellion last year and later joined the country's interim government. But they withdrew in September, demanding that the monarchy be abolished.
The move plunged Nepal into a political crisis and threatened its transition to democracy.
Yesterday, the former rebels were buoyant over the deal bringing them back into the fold. The deal stipulates the monarchy will be eliminated once a special assembly charged with rewriting the Constitution is elected. The vote had been delayed indefinitely by the Maoists' withdrawal from the government and officials now say they want to hold it in the first half of next year.
"Now there is nothing else that needs to be done," Prachanda, the Maoist leader who uses only one name, told reporters. "There is no monarchy left in the country."
The monarch, King Gyanendra, heads a dynasty that dates back to 1769, when a regional ruler led an army down from the hills and conquered the ancient city of Kathmandu. He established a line of kings that have been traditionally considered reincarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu, to be venerated by their subjects, over whom they once held near absolute sway.
But Gyanendra, the 12th Shah dynasty monarch, has never enjoyed the popularity of his predecessors and Sunday's deal to eliminate the throne was received largely with indifference by the people of Kathmandu.
"Before, kings were part of people's heart," said Mata Pasad Risal, 60, a retired government official. "Now people have turned against him. The king has lost his position and popularity. It will be best for him to leave the palace."
Gyanendra came to the throne in 2001 after a palace massacre in which the crown prince is accused of gunning down Gyanendra's older brother, the late king Birendra, and much of the royal family and then killing himself. The murders 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 Maoist insurgency.
But the insurgency worsened, the economy faltered and Gyanendra used heavyhanded tactics to silence the opposition, jailing and banning criticism of himself, his government and the army.
The result was weeks of unrest in April last year that ended with Gyanendra restoring parliament. He has since been stripped of his powers, command over the army and his immunity from prosecution.
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