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It was tense countdown to birth of republican Nepal

— PHOTO: AP

NEW-FOUND FREEDOM: A demonstrator climbs atop a statue of King Birendra, brother of King Gyanendra, near the Narayanhiti Palace in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Thursday to celebrate the birth of Nepal as a republic.

KATHMANDU: Until Nepal was declared Federal Democratic Republican of Nepal around midnight on May 28, there was a fear among the citizens that King Gyanendra, who had earlier staged a coup and imposed Emergency, would hinder the birth of a new Nepal.

Overnight, people had gathered around the Birendra International Convention Centre (BICC) to witness the historic proceedings of the Constituent Assembly (CA). The meeting, slated to begin at 11 a.m., was postponed twice as the key leaders could not reach an agreement over the new government’s structure. Outside the BICC, the crowd became impatient as the meeting did not begin on time. Some of them hurled stones at the building and the police fired teargas. Earlier in the afternoon, the Royalists took out a procession and chanted: “Haamro raja, haamro desh praan bhandaa pyaaro chha” (We love our king and our country more than ourselves).” Since the CA meeting did not begin as scheduled, Republican supporters seemed anxious. Sudhir Basnet, told The Hindu: “They’re taking very long. I wonder if Nepal would be declared republican today.”

After a while, news trickled down that the meeting at Baluwatar had concluded. UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal told journalists that the parties had agreed to elect a constitutional President. The CA meeting commenced around 10 p.m. and Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula read out the proposal on the declaration of republican Nepal.

The proposal, earlier approved by the Seven Party Alliance read: “Nepal has now turned into an independent, secular, inclusive, federal democratic republic with sovereignty and state authority entrusted in the Nepali people.”

Chandra Bahadur Gurung of the pro-monarchy Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal said the country was united by kings; therefore the monarchy should not be abolished. However, of the 564 members of the CA, 560 voted for a republican Nepal. “I declare that the proposal tabled by the government for implementation of a republic Nepal has been passed as 560 of the 564 members voted in favour of the proposal,” announced the Constituent Assembly Chairman. Immediately after the declaration, a congratulatory message sent by Somnath Chatterjee — Speaker of the Lok Sabha — was read out.

Henceforth, Gyanendra and his family would be treated as civilians. The palace would be turned into a “historical museum.” In the end, the country that was ruled for centuries by kings entered a new era quite peacefully.

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