Almost 17 years ago, Nepal’s King Gyanendra Shah “bowed to the inevitable” and stepped down from the throne, handing over a crown made of “yak’s hair and emeralds”, said The Times.
After “widespread protests” against his authoritarian rule, Gyanendra fled the royal palace to “live the life of a commoner”. But now, the king has returned to the Himalayan nation, and to a hero’s welcome. He arrived in Kathmandu on 9 March greeted by crowds of thousands – some of who had taken part in the protests against him – demanding the “immediate restoration” of the monarchy, amid growing frustration over poverty and corruption.
“Vacate the royal palace for the king,” the crowds chanted. “Come back king, save the country.”
The Nepalese royal massacre
Gyanendra, 77, was never meant to be king. He was the brother of the king, the far more popular Birendra. But one night in 2001, the king’s son Dipendra drunkenly opened fire on a party in the royal palace. He killed nine members of his family, including his father, mother, brother and sister, before shooting himself in the head. It would become known as the Nepalese royal massacre.
Dipendra’s motives are still a mystery, but the killings followed a longstanding disagreement between Dipendra and his parents, who “objected” to his wish to marry an Indian aristocrat, said The Diplomat. The “needle of suspicion” also pointed at Gyanendra, who wasn’t at the palace on the night of the murder. But Gyanendra denied any involvement, and inherited the crown.
At first, he ruled “without executive or political powers”, said Al Jazeera. But in 2005, he “seized absolute power”. Claiming he was acting to “defeat anti-monarchy Maoist rebels”, he disbanded the government, jailed politicians and declared a state of emergency, using the army to rule.
This “triggered huge street protests”, which forced him to hand power to a multi-party government in 2006. That government signed a peace deal with the Maoists, ending a decade-long bloody civil war. Two years later, parliament voted to abolish the 240-year-old Hindu monarchy, “transforming the nation into a secular republic”.
A failed republic, or a glorified past?
But many Nepalis are increasingly “frustrated” with that republic, said The Associated Press. It has “failed to bring about political stability” – Nepal has had 13 governments since the monarchy was abolished – and they blame it for the struggling economy and “widespread corruption”.
“I was in the protests that took away monarchy hoping it would help the country,” said one 50-year-old in the crowds greeting Gyanendra. “But I was mistaken and the nation has further plunged so I have changed my mind.”
Political leaders, mainly from the “big three” parties, “carry the taint of corruption allegations”, said The Indian Express. Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, with his “totalitarian tendencies”, has “earned more enemies than ever before”.
On social media there has been “a surge of pro-monarchy posts and videos”, said Nepal Times. Monarchists are using these to “fan nostalgia of the golden age of royalty”, with former kings “glorified” as nationalists who “upheld Nepal’s sovereignty” and “commanded respect worldwide”. They believe “public disillusionment” with the country’s leaders is “at breaking point”.
Young Nepalis are “attracted to the idea of reinstating the monarchy as a form of anti-incumbent protest”, added the news site – “but also because they have little to no memory of living under an authoritarian absolute monarchy.”