Nepalese king bows to mass protests and offers to recall parliament

Gyanendra made no direct reference to the other major opposition demand—for the convening of a constituent assembly to rewrite the country’s constitution. He did, however, declare that his proclamation was being made “according to the road map of the agitating political parties”. In his first direct reference to the “people’s movement,” the king hypocritically expressed his condolences for those killed by the security forces he unleashed on the demonstrators.

In February last year, Gyanendra arbitrarily seized executive power and ruled directly through his own cabinet of royalist appointees. His crackdown on political opposition, the press and all protests provoked widespread popular hostility. The king’s isolation was graphically exposed in February when he staged local government elections as “part of a road map for democracy” but was decisively rebuffed. The turnout was just 20 percent after the opposition called for a boycott.

While the seven opposition parties—including the Nepal Congress Party (NCP) and the Nepal Communist Party-United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML)—have yet to formally respond, there is little doubt that they will welcome yesterday’s announcement with open arms. As the protests have swelled in numbers and defiantly challenged the state apparatus, these parties have been desperate to find a means for reining in the movement and preventing broader social and political demands being raised.

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http://wsws.org/articles/2006/apr2006/nepa-a25.shtml