Politics of Nepal
.svg) |
|---|
|
Executive:
Judiciary: |
 Nepal portal |
The Politics of Nepal take place in a framework of a multiethnic, multilingual, and Hindu, absolute monarchy in transition to a parliamentary democracy.
Currently, the King of Nepal is the head of state and his Prime Minister is the head of government. Nepal has a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Nepal House of Representatives.
On December 23, 2007, an agreement was made for the monarchy to be abolished and the country to become a republic.[1] A republic may be established in 2008 provided that a simple majority of the constituent assembly, to be elected in early 2008, votes to abolish the monarchy.
Political conditions
1990-1996: parliamentary monarchy
Until 1990, Nepal was an absolute monarchy running under the executive control of the king. Faced with a people's movement against the absolute monarchy, King Birendra, in 1990, agreed to large-scale political reforms by creating a parliamentary monarchy with the king as the head of state and a prime minister as the head of the government.
Nepal's legislature was bicameral consisting of a House of Representatives and a National Council. The House of Representatives consisted of 205 members directly elected by the people. The National Council had 60 members, 10 nominated by the king, 35 elected by the House of Representatives and the remaining 15 elected by an electoral college made up of chairs of villages and towns. The legislature had a five-year term, but was dissolved by the king before its term could end. All Nepalese citizens 18 years and older became eligible to vote.
The executive comprised the King and the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet). The leader of the coalition or party securing the maximum seats in an election was appointed as the Prime Minister. The Cabinet was appointed by the king on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.
Governments in Nepal have tended to be highly unstable; no government has survived for more than two years since 1991, either through internal collapse or parliamentary dissolution by the monarch.
In the first free and fair elections in Nepal in 1991, Nepali Congress was victorious.
The 1994 election defeat of the Nepali Congress Party by the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN(UML)) made Nepal the first communist-led monarchy in Asia, with Man Mohan Adhikary prime minister. In mid-1994, the Parliament was dissolved due to dissension within the Nepali Congress Party. The subsequent general election, held 15 November 1994, gave no party a majority and led to several years of unstable coalition governments. As of the May 1999 general elections, the Nepali Congress Party once again heads a majority government. There have been three Nepali Congress Party Prime Ministers since the 1999 elections: K.P. Bhattarai (5/31/99-3/17/00); Girija Prasad Koirala (3/20/00-7/19/01); and Sher Bahadur Deuba (7/23/01-2003). The final distribution of seats in Parliament gave the Nepali Congress 113; the CPN(UML) 69; the RPP 11; the RJM 5; the NSP 5; the Workers and Peasants Party 1; and the United People's Front 1. Nepali Congress Party has divided to Nepali Congress Party led by G. P. Koirala and Nepali Congress (Democratic) led by Sher Bahadur Deuba. Amongst the elected MPs, 39 MPs belong to Nepali Congress (Democratic). Former Prime Minister and Influential Leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai has expressed his support for Nepali Congress (Democratic). Both Congress parties regard Krishna Prasad Bhattarai as their main leader.
King Gyanendra discharged Sher Bahadur Deuba and on June 4, 2003 appointed Surya Bahadur Thapa as Prime Minister.
1996: Maoist insurgency
In February 1996, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) began a violent insurgency in more than 50 of the country's 75 districts. About 11,000 police, civilians, and insurgents have been killed in the conflict since 1996. In July 2001 Prime Minister Deuba announced a cease-fire, which the Maoists pledged to observe, as part of a government effort to seek a negotiated solution to the conflict. Although Maoist-instigated intimidation and extortion continue, the killings have largely subsided since the cease-fire was announced. The government and Maoists held talks in August and September 2001.
Political parties agreed in 1991 that the monarchy would remain to enhance political stability and provide an important symbol of national identity for the culturally diverse Nepali people. The King exercises limited powers, including the right to declare a state of emergency in the event of war or armed revolt, with the advice and consent of the Council of Ministers and the Prime Minister. According to the constitution, the King's declaration of a state of emergency must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the lower house of the Parliament.
2001: Royal massacre
On June 1, 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra was officially reported to have shot and killed his father, King Birendra; his mother, Queen Aishwarya; his brother; his sister, his father's younger brother, Prince Dhirendra; and several aunts, before turning the gun on himself. Although he never regained consciousness before dying, Crown Prince Diprendra was nonetheless the king under the law of Nepalese royal succession. After his death two days later, the late King's surviving brother Gyanendra was proclaimed king.
Nepal's judiciary is legally separate from the executive and legislative branches and has increasingly shown the will to be independent of political influence. The judiciary has the right of judicial review under the constitution. The king appoints the chief justice and all other judges to the supreme, appellate, and district courts upon the recommendation of the Judicial Council. All lower court decisions, including acquittals, are subject to appeal. The Supreme Court is the court of last appeal. The king may grant pardons and may suspend, commute, or remit any sentence by any court.
There are hundreds of small privately owned newspapers in addition to one English and one Nepali-language state-owned newspapers. Views expressed since the 1990 move to democracy are varied and vigorous. As of September 2001, there were 19 private radio stations, a government radio station, and a government-owned television station. The law allows the issuance of private television broadcasting licenses. Although one such license was issued in 1994, the recipient failed to begin broadcasting within the 6-year window. There are nearly 200 cable television operators nationwide, and satellite dishes to receive television broadcasts proliferate. The law strictly forbids the media to criticize or satirize the king or any member of the royal family. That has not prevented various protestors from doing so, though, and the international community has joined the protesters in criticizing the king. [1]
2005-2007: reassertion of monarchy
King Gyanendra took control once again on 1 February 2005.
The UN-OHCHR set up a monitoring program in 2005 to assess and observe the human rights situation [2].
Nepalese political landscape consists of more than two dozen political parties. Based on the parliamentary seats occupied by various parties since 1991, Nepali Congress Party (NCP), Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML), Nepali Congress (Democratic), National Democratic Party(NDP), Nepal Sadbhawana Party (NGP), People’s Front Nepal (PFN) and Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP) are significant ones. United People's Front of Nepal (UPFN), which had won third largest number of seats in 1991 parliamentary election, began to splinter in 1993. Its one faction later merged with Nepal Communist Party (Masal) to form PFN. However, the other faction established Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) in 1995, which staged an armed rebellion in 1996 and gradually emerged as a major political force - holding a balance of power in Nepal. All these political realignments have made the political scene of Nepal one of the most confusing in the world. Breakup of the parties had become a norm rather than an exception in Nepal. Parties never agreed on most issues of National significance. However, the situation began to change after King Gyanendra took an absolute power in 2005.
In November 22, 2005, seven parliamentary parties (Seven Party Alliance (SPA)) and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) agreed on a historic and unprecedented 12-point memorandum of understanding (MOU) on November 22, 2005 for peace and democracy. Nepalese from various walks of life and the international community regarded the MOU as an appropriate political response to the crisis that was developing in Nepal. In the backdrop of the historical sufferings of the Nepalese people and the enormous human cost of the last ten years of violent conflict, the MOU, which proposes a peaceful transition through an elected constituent assembly, created an acceptable formula for a united movement for democracy. As per the 12-point MOU, the Seven Party Alliance called for a protest movement and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) supported it. This led to a countrywide uprising that started in April 2006. All political forces including civil society and professional organizations actively galvanized the people. This resulted into massive and spontaneous demonstrations and rallies held across Nepal against the King Gyanendra's autocratic rule.
The people's participation was so broad, momentous and pervasive that the king feared being overrun.[citation needed] On April 21, 2006, King Gyanendra declared that the "power would be returned to the people". This had little effect on the people, who continued to occupy the streets of Kathmandu and other towns, openly defying the daytime curfew. Finally King Gyanendra announced the reinstatement the House of Representatives, so conceding one of the major demands of the SPA, at midnight of April 24, 2006. With this the coalition of political forces decided to call off the protests.
Twenty-one people died and thousands were injured during the 19 days of protests.
On May 19, 2006, the parliament assumed total legislative power and gave executive power to the Government of Nepal (previously known as His Majesty's Government). Names of many institutions (including the army) were stripped of the "royal" adjective and the Raj Parishad (a council of the King's advisors) was abolished, with his duties assigned to the Parliament itself. The activities of the King became subject to parliamentary scrutiny and the King's properties were subjected to taxation. Moreover, Nepal was declared a secular state abrogating the previous status of a Hindu Kingdom. However, most of the changes have, as yet, not been implemented. On July 19, 2006, the prime minister, G. P. Koirala, sent a letter to the United Nations announcing the intention of the Nepalese government to hold elections to a constituent assembly by April 2007.
December 2007: Abolition of monarchy
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
On December 23, 2007, an agreement was made for the monarchy to be abolished and the country to become a republic.[1] A republic may be established in 2008 provided a simple majority of the constituent assembly, to be elected in early 2008, votes to abolish the monarchy.[2]
Executive branch
| Office | Name | Party | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| King | Gyanendra | 4 June 2001 | |
| Prime Minister | Girija Prasad Koirala | Congress | 24 April 2006 |
The Executive Power of the Kingdom of Nepal is vested in the King of Nepal and the Council of Ministers.
In 2007, the government agreed to abolish the monarchy in conjunction with the next national elections. [3]
Legislative branch
The Parliament (Sansad) has two chambers. The House of Representatives (Pratinidhi Sabha) has 205 members elected for five year term in single-seat constituencies. The National Council (Rashtriya Sabha) has 60 members, 35 members elected by the Pratinidhi Sabha, 15 representatives of Regional Development Areas and 10 members appointed by the king. Parliament has been dissolved by the king in 2002 on the grounds that it was incapable of handling the Maoists rebels. The country’s seven main political parties have staged protests against the king, arguing that the parliament be reinstated and elections held to a Constituent Assembly.
Political parties and elections
Template:Nepalese legislative elections, 1999 The main parties include:
- United Congress(Upper Congress)
- Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (Nepal Kamyunist Parti (Maobadi))
- Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre-Masal)
- Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (Nepal Kamyunist Parti (Ekikrit Marksvadi ra Leninvadi))
- Nepali Congress
- Nepali Congress (Democratic)
- Nepali Sadbhavana Party (Nepalese Goodwill Party)
- Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (Nepal Mazdoor Kisan Party)
- Rashtriya Jana Morcha (National People's Front)
- Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (National Democratic Party)
- Rashtriya Prajatantra Party-Chand (National-Democratic Party-Chand)
- Sanyunkta Janamorcha Nepal (United People's Front Party of Nepal)
Judicial branch
The judiciary is compised of the Supreme Court (Sarbochha Adalat), appellate courts, and various district courts. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the Constitutional Council; the other judges are appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Judicial Council.
International organization participation
AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Further reading
Jonathan Gregson. 2002. Massacre at the Palace: The Doomed Royal Dynasty of Nepal. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 0-7868-6878-3. (Note that Gregson finds the official story of the royal killings plausible while many in Nepal do not.)
References
- ^ a b Nepal to Abolish Monarchy (Binaj Gurubacharya, Time, 24 December 2007)
- ^ "Nepal to End Its Monarchy in a Deal With Ex-Rebels". New York Times. 24 December 2007.
External links
- The Interim Constitution of Nepal, 2063 (2007)
- The Constitution of The Kingdom of Nepal, 2047 (1990) (terminated by the Interim Constitution)