BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

POLITICAL TRANSITION IN NEPAL: FROM MAOIST INSURGENCY TO DEMOCRACY

Author: Nabiha Gul

DOI Link: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2010v31n3a4

ABSTRACT

The year 2008 brought unprecedented change for Nepal when almost250-year old monarchy was replaced with a democratically elected government. With that,the world’s only Hindu Kingdom came to an end. Thecountry endured years of political crisis that had not only bred economic instability but also social turmoil. The 10-year long struggle against monarchy that started in 1996 in the name of ‘Maoist insurgency’ did succeed in dethroning the King. However, the country is still in the grip of political differences and yet to adapt to the democratic trends. Nepal’s experience from monarchy to democracy has been a historyof enduring contradictions. Making process of democratization a reality in Nepal seems to be a formidable task for there still is a power struggle going on among political parties. For a developing country like Nepal, abolition of monarchy and formation of a democratically elected government is not the beginning of a new era but a crucial phase in battered politics where the future of democracy is yet to be decided.