Political development of Nepal

1990–1996: Parliamentary monarchy

1.  Until 1990, Nepal was an absolute monarchy under the executive control of the king. Faced with a people's movement against the absolute monarchy, in 1990 King Birendra 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.

2.  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. Under these reforms, all Nepalese citizens 18 years and older became eligible to vote.

3.  The executive office was comprised of 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.

4.  The government in Nepal tends 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.

5.  In the first free and fair elections in Nepal in 1991, the Nepali Congress was victorious.

6.  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 as prime minister. In mid-1994, the parliament was dissolved due to dissension within the Nepali Congress Party. The subsequent general election, held November 15, 1994, gave no party a majority, which led to several years of unstable coalition governments. As of the May 1999 general elections, the Nepali Congress Party once again held a majority government. There have been three Nepali Congress Party prime ministers since the 1999 elections: K.P. Bhattarai (May 31, 1999 – March 17, 2000); Girija Prasad Koirala (March 20, 2000 – July 19, 2001); and Sher Bahadur Deuba (July 23, 2001–2003). The final distribution of seats in pParliament 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. The Nepali Congress Party has divided into the Nepali Congress Party led by G. P. Koirala and the Nepali Congress (Democratic) led by Sher Bahadur Deuba. Amongst the elected MPs, 39 MPs belong to the 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.

1996: Maoist insurgency

7. In February 1996, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) began a violent insurgency in more than 50 of the country's 75 districts. About 13,000 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 continued, the killings have largely subsided since the cease-fire was announced. The government and Maoists held talks in August and September 2001.

8. Political parties agreed in 1991 that the monarchy would remain in order to enhance political stability and provide an important symbol of national identity for the culturally diverse Nepali people. The king exercised 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

9. 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 Dipendra 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.

2005–2007: Suspension of Parliament and Peoples Movement

10. On February 1, 2005 King Gyanendra suspended the Parliament, appointed a government led by himself and declared a nationwide emergency. The king argued that civil politicians were unfit to handle the Maoist insurgency. Opposition leaders fled to India and regrouped there. A broad coalition called the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) was formed in opposition to the royal takeover, encompassing the seven parliamentary parties.

11. On November 22, 2005 the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) of parliamentary parties and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) agreed on a historic and unprecedented 12-point memorandum of understanding (MOU) for peace and democracy. As per the 12-point MOU, the SPA called for a protest movement, and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) supported it. This led to a countrywide uprising called the Loktantra Andolan that started in April 2006. All political forces including civil society and professional organizations actively galvanized the people. This resulted in massive and spontaneous demonstrations and rallies held across Nepal against King Gyanendra's autocratic rule.

12. The people's participation was so broad, momentous and pervasive that on April 21, 2006, King Gyanendra declared that "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. King Gyanendra announced the reinstatement of the House of Representatives, thereby conceding one of the major demands of the SPA, at midnight on April 24, 2006. Following this action, the coalition of political forces decided to call off the protests.

13. On May 19, 2006, 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 advisers) was abolished, with its 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, 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 to May 2008: Abolition of the monarchy

14. On December 23, 2007, an agreement was made for the monarchy to be abolished and the country to become a federal republic with the prime minister becoming head of state. Defying political pundits, who had predicted it to be trounced in the April 2008 elections, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) became the largest party amidst a general atmosphere of fear and intimidation from all sides. A federal republic was established in May 2008, with only four members of the 601-seat Constituent Assembly voting against the change, which ended 240 years of royal rule in Nepal.

Current (2008 Onwards)

15. Major parties such as the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and the Nepali Congress agreed to write a constitution that replaces the interim one within the time limit of 2 years. However, the uncooperative and "selfish" behavior of the political parties has been cited as the major cause behind the derailing of the peace process. The Maoists, as the largest party of the country, took power right after the elections were held and named Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda, as  prime minister . CPN UML  joined this government but the Nepali Congress joined the main opposition.  It was evident that the country's situation deteriorated and political turmoil was in store. Prachanda soon fell into a dispute with the then Army Chief, Rookmangud Katwal, and decided to remove him. But the President Ram Baran Yadav, as the supreme head of military power in the country, revoked this decision and gave the army chief additional time in office. An angry Prachanda and his party quit the government, citing this reason and deciding to be the main opposition to the government headed by CPN UML and a co-partner to the Nepali Congress afterwards. Madhav Kumar Nepal was named the prime minister. The Maoists have been to this date demanding civilian supremacy over the army. This created turmoil in the country and  vividly showed that political leaders are still wrangling for power, which will further delay any true development. The Maoists have been forcing closures, commonly known as bandhs, in the country and have also declared autonomous states for almost all the ethnic groups in the country, seen as a part of revenge against the action that foiled their decision to remove the army chief. Political leaders are discussing plans to end this turmoil, but the talks have not been successful. Rising inflation, economic downturn, poverty, insecurity and uncertainty are major problems. Many analysts opine that these events have brought anarchy to the country. Many do not believe the political parties will be successful in writing a constitution.

16. On June 30, 2010, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar announced his resignation after 13 months in power during a televised address to the nation as he succumbed to intense pressure from the opposition Maoists to make way for a "consensus" national government. The Maoists demanded his resignation for months and the formation of a new national government led by them. The prime minister hinted that the Maoists should return the seized property, dissolve their paramilitary organization, the Young Communist League, and agree to manage their combatants as per the three point agreement they made with the major coalition partners on May 28, while extending the term of the Constituent Assembly. Kumar also pointed out that the Maoists combatants need to be integrated and rehabilitated within the next three months in order to complete the peace process. He underlined the need for forging cooperation and collaboration among all political parties by saying that the peace process could not be completed and the task of writing the constitution could not be accomplished without it. A Constituent Assembly (CA), was elected in 2008 with a two-year mandate to complete the peace process launched after the 10-year civil war between Maoist rebels and the government and to draft a new national constitution. The CA failed to complete either task on time, hampered by fierce disagreements between the Maoists and their political rivals.

17. On February 3, 2011, after seven months of political gridlock in which no candidate could muster enough votes to be elected as prime minister, Jhala Nath Khanal was elected as prime minister by the Constituent Assembly. Khanal received 368 votes in the 601-member Pparliament, while his closest rivals, Ram Chandra Poudel of the Nepali Congress and Bijay Kumar Gachhedar of Madhesi People's Rights Forum (Democratic), got 122 votes and 67 votes respectively. Nepal has not had a  proper government since Madhav Kumar Nepal resigned in June 2010. Sixteen rounds of voting in Parliament since July were unable to produce a new prime minister as no political party could muster a majority. However, on February 3, 2011 the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Nepal's largest party, withdrew its candidate, Pushpa Kamal Dahal (“Prachanda”), and backed Khanal, who as a result, became the third prime minister of Nepal since it became a republic in 2008.

18.Khanal's immediate tasks as prime minister include the preparation of a new republican constitution by a May 28 deadline and negotiating the future of some 20,000 Maoist combatants.

19.  On August 15, 2011, after serving six months as the Prime Minister, Jhalanath Khanal resigned amid an increasing political scramble over the formation of a new coalition government and the draft of a new constitution. Khanal told reporters after tendering his resignation that he did so to pave the way for a national consensus government. But the national consensus government did not form, and CA announced the election of a new PM among the members of CA.

20. UCPN (Maoist) Vice-chairman Dr. Baburam Bhattarai was elected the new prime minister, securing 340 votes in the 601-seat Parliament on August 28, 2011. His only rival, Ram Chandra Paudel of the Nepali Congress, received 235 of the total 575 votes casted. The PM reiterated four major priorities when talking with the national media.The first priority was to complete the peace process as per the past agreements. The second priority was to make a concerted effort to draft a forward-looking constitution through the Constituent Assembly. The third priority was to address poverty, unemployment and corruption, and lastly, he promised the establishment of good governance and economic and social transformation. With his Premiership, the CA term was further extended for another 3 months.

Legislative branch

Pre-2006

From 1991 to 2002, the Parliament (Sansad) had two chambers. The House of Representatives (Pratinidhi Sabha) had 205 members elected for five-year terms in single-seat constituencies. The National Council (Rashtriya Sabha) had 60 members: 35 members elected by the Pratinidhi Sabha, 15 representatives of Regional Development Areas and 10 members appointed by the king. Parliament was subsequently dissolved by the king in 2002 on the pretext that it was incapable of handling the Maoists rebels.

From Peoples Movement to the Constituent Assembly (CA)

After the victory of Peoples Movement in the spring of 2006, a unicameral interim legislature replaced the previous parliament. The new body consists both of members of the old parliament as well as nominated members. As of December 2007, the legislature had the following composition.

The first Constituent Assembly election

In May 2008 the first CA elections made the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)the largest party in the Constituent Assembly, which will have a term of two years.

Judicial branch

The judiciary is composed of the Supreme Court (Sarbochha Adalat), appellate courts, and various trial courts. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the Constitutional Council; the other judges were appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Judicial Council.

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.

International organization participation

ADB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO  ITU, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO.