THE TELEGRAPH: Nepal swept away more than two centuries of history when the monarchy was abolished with barely a whimper from the palace.
King Gyanendra, whose seven-year reign began in tragedy, floundered in authoritarianism and ended in meek surrender, was given 15 days to leave his palace. After that, according to the new government, it will be turned into a museum.
An overwhelming majority of an elected assembly, charged with drawing up a new constitution, backed the creation of a republic in the Himalayan nation, which endured 10 years of war against Maoist rebels, who are now the dominant partners in the new political firmament.
The resolution passed by 560 votes with only four against states that Nepal will become "an independent, indivisible, sovereign, secular and an inclusive democratic republic nation".
It adds: "All the privileges enjoyed by the king and royal family will automatically come to an end."
King Gyanendra, who inherited the throne after 10 members of the royal family were massacred by Crown Prince Dipendra in 2001, was a victim of his own incompetence and historical forces beyond his control.
The royal bureaucracy was stuffed with elderly functionaries incapable of accepting change. As a Maoist insurgency gripped the country, especially after 2001, the establishment fell back on what it knew best – authoritarianism practised by a tiny elite. Nepal Abolishes Monarchy as King Gyanendra Given Fortnight to Vacate Palace >>> By Thomas Bell in Kathmandu | May 29, 2008
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What Do Monarchs Do Next? >>> | May 30, 2008
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The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)
