Sixteen years ago, mass protests drove Nepal's then-king to give up the throne. But a new wave of demonstrations is now trying to put him back on the royal seat. This comes on the backdrop of growing discontent with Nepal's current governance system.

Kathmandu

In Nepal, a recent surge in protests has emerged with demonstrators advocating for the reinstatement of a monarchy, approximately sixteen years after popular protests led to the abdication of the country's last king. The protesters are expressing a desire to see a king return to the throne, indicating a shift or resurgence in public opinion towards monarchy as a preferred form of governance. This movement is unfolding against a backdrop of increasing dissatisfaction with the current governance system in Nepal, suggesting that the protestors believe a monarchical system could better serve the nation's needs or address its challenges.



Nepal protesters want a king back on the throne

66-year-old Naresh Bahadur Singh has close ties to the royal family. His niece is married to the former prince. In his lifetime, he has witnessed monarchy in different forms, the absolute and the constitutional, and now the republic system. It was not an ordinary thing for a king to abdicate monarchy and put an end to over 250 years old dynastic rule just by calling a press conference. In fact, King Gayendra made way for the establishment of Nepal as a republic state. He strongly believed that one should not rule at the behest of people. People like Naresh, who are closely connected to the former monarch, are not happy with how things have progressed in the last 16 years after the king left the palace. And so are the Nepalese in general. Corruption has increased and inflation has increased. Disadvantaged groups are hit hard. After leaving the palace, former King Gayendra did not flee the country, but has been living as a commoner, attending family events, religious functions and programs organized by his supporters. At times he has been giving statements that clearly show his dissatisfaction with the current political trend. Youths playing traditional instruments, protesters carrying flags and chanting pro-monarchy slogans are the common scenes in these protests. Kamal Thapa, chair of the Rashtriya Prajapati that advocates the return of constitutional monarchy is on the street hesitating. Thapa served as the home minister during King Gayendra's regime in 2006 and also as deputy prime minister during the republic. The main objective is to abolish this corrupt system and get rid of the corrupt political leadership and restoration of monarchy. We are in favor of ceremonial monarchy like in UK and other European countries. Experts say reinstating monarchy could be principally possible. The constitution of Nepal allows any type of amendment that is not prejudicial to the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Nepal. So it is possible to do so. The issue is largely political, I think. Civil society leaders who led many movements in the past opine that the return of the monarchy is impossible now. How are you going to have monarchy here? Through the constitutional change? No, that's impossible. Through a movement like we did in 2005-2006 and stabilizing all that? I don't think that's going to happen. Longstanding discontent with Nepal's current governance system and lack of employment has made more than 2,000 youths leave the country daily and the current government is not able to stop the mass exodus of youths. Nannis is closely looking at how these protests unfold and if they could make a larger impact. People here in Nepal are frustrated with the growing political instability and they care about economic opportunities, good governance and delivery of services above all. But parties in power are busy breaking and forming new alliances. Nepal has had 13 governments since the monarchy was abolished in 2008. Rajneesh Bhandari, TRT World, Kathmandu.

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