Nepal was governed by hereditary chief ministers, Ranas, since 1846.
In 1951, allied with the anti-Rana rebels of the Nepalese Congress Party (NCP),
the crown restored its sovereignty while establishing a multi-party democracy that
ended in 1960 – only a year after the adoption of the multi-party constitution.
Yet, in 1980, a new monarch allowed non-party based elections. NCP launched a civil
disobedience campaign to restore the multi-party system in 1985.
Multi-party democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy was re-introduced
in 1990.
The reforms took off in 1991, after NCP-led rallies. Unstable governments, however,
characterized the period that followed. Maoist rebels have been waging para-military
campaigns to set up a communist republic since 1996.
Consequently, the current monarch has twice assumed executive powers - in 2002 and
2005. In October 2002, the king dismissed the Prime Minister and called-off the
elections due to the violence.
Again, citing dissatisfaction with the lack of progress in addressing the insurgency
and corruption, the king declared a state of emergency in 2005. In response, Maoists’
and opposition parties agreed to restore democracy.
After three months of protests, the king allowed parliament to reconvene in April
2006. In May, the parliament introduced legislation that curtailed king's powers. |