The show goes on in Kathmandu

King Gyanendra must have decided to hold municipal elections in Nepal for want of anything else to commemorate one year since he seized absolute power.

King Gyanendra must have decided to hold municipal elections in Nepal for want of anything else to commemorate one year since he seized absolute power. There could be no other explanation for having such controversial polls at this juncture, with all the major political parties boycotting, and Maoist rebels ordering a general strike. It’s no surprise that voter turnout was very low as most people eligible to vote were apparently deterred by the opposition boycott and fear of reprisal attacks by the insurgents. This is obviously a big blow for the king who had advertised the elections as a “step back towards democracy”. It also could strengthen criticism that he resorted to local polls to legitimise his hold on power — a claim that seems increasingly credible, considering that the Maoists and political parties have teamed up in an unlikely alliance to press for democracy.

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Of course, the rebels have hardly shunned violence. But their decision last year to subscribe to “multi-party democracy in the future” and to declare a unilateral ceasefire tempted the sidelined parties to sign an accord with them during the ceasefire. Although many issues are yet to be addressed, this compact was important as it excluded the king. The biggest parties appeared to have abandoned their previous allegiance to the monarchy, and at least one of them
openly courted a republican agenda. It’s against this background that the king shouldn’t be in a hurry to dismiss the latest rebel roadmap for political change.

In a newspaper interview, Maoist leader Prachanda stated he was willing to hold conditional talks with the palace on having “a free and fair election to a constitutional assembly”. It is significant that for the first time, the Maoists have declared their commitment to multi-party democracy and a readiness to retain the monarchy “if the people choose”. This contrasts with their earlier inflexible stand on intensifying their struggle to overthrow the monarchy. As the king runs out of options and finds himself increasingly isolated in the political arena, he should welcome this new window of opportunity to bring in democracy to Nepal.