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Text File | 1994-05-02 | 13KB | 255 lines

<text> <title> Nepal: History </title> <article> <hdr> Background Notes: Nepal History </hdr> <body> Modern Nepal was created in the latter half of the 18th century when Prithvi Narayan Shah, the ruler of the small principality of Gorkha, formed a unified country from a number of independent hill states. The country was frequently called the Gorkha Kingdom, the source of the term "Gurkha" for Nepalese soldiers. After 1800, the heirs of Prithvi Narayan Shah proved unable to maintain firm political control over Nepal. A period of internal turmoil followed, heightened by Nepal's defeat in a war with the British from 1814 to 1816. Stability was restored after 1846 when the Rana family gained power, entrenched itself through hereditary prime ministers, and reduced the monarch to a figurehead. The Rana regime, a tightly centralized autocracy, pursued a policy of isolating Nepal from external influences. This policy helped Nepal maintain its national independence during the colonial era, but it also impeded the country's economic development. In 1950, King Tribhuvan, a direct descendant of Prithvi Narayan Shah, fled his "palace prison" to newly independent India, touching off an armed revolt against the Rana administration. This allowed the return of the Shah family to power and, eventually, the appointment of a non-Rana as prime minister. The 1950s was a period of quasiconstitutional rule during which the monarch, assisted by the leaders of fledgling political parties, governed the country. At times, the government was led by prime ministers from those parties who represented a variety of views; during other periods the monarch ruled directly. King Tribhuvan was succeeded after his death in 1955 by his son, King Mahendra. During this decade, efforts were made to frame a constitution for Nepal that would establish a representative form of government, patterned on a modified British model. In early 1959, such a constitution was issued by King Mahendra, and shortly thereafter the first democratic elections were held for a national assembly. The Nepali Congress Party, a moderate socialist group, gained a substantial victory in the election. Its leader, B.P. Koirala, was called upon to form a government and serve as prime minister. Less than 18 months later, however, King Mahendra declared the experiment in parliamentary democracy a failure, dismissed the Koirala government, suspended the constitution, and again ruled directly from the palace. The king charged the Nepali Congress Party's government with corruption, misuse of power, and inability to maintain law and order. He declared that Nepal needed a democratic political system closed to Nepalese traditions. To meet this need, the King promulgated a new constitution on December 16, 1962, establishing a partyless system of panchayats (councils). This was a pyramidal structure progressing from village assemblies to a National Parliament (Rastriya Panchayat), with panchayats elected at the village, town, and district levels by their respective assemblies. With the panchayat system firmly established by 1967, King Mahendra began working out an accommodation with former political party members, and participation in the government by former political leaders was encouraged. The parties thereby gained a degree of legitimacy despite their official nonexistence--a situation which still exists. In January 1972, King Mahendra died of a heart attack and was succeeded by his 27-year-old son, King Birendra. In the spring of 1979, student demonstrations and antiregime activities led to a call by King Birendra for a national referendum to decide on the nature of Nepal's government--either the continuation of the panchayat system or the establishment of a multiparty system. In a December 1979 speech, the king promised to further democratize the constitution if the panchayat system was retained. The referendum was held in May 1980, and the partyless panchayat system won a narrow victory. The king carried out the promised reforms, providing for election to the Rastriya Panchayat by universal suffrage. The Panchayat also was granted greater power then it had previously, including selection of the prime minister. A second round of voting was held in the spring of 1981 to elect a new Panchayat. The election was boycotted by most of the major political groups, which had expressed unhappiness with the king's political reforms (political parties were still banned). Nevertheless, the election attracted a broad array of candidates and a good turnout at the polls. Surya Bahadur Thapa, prime minister from the time of the student uprisings in 1979 until the election, was renominated by an overwhelming majority of Panchayat members when they convened in June 1981. Thapa's government was removed following a "no confidence" motion in the Panchayat in 1983. He was replaced by Lokendra B. Chand, who continued as prime minister until announcement of the 1986 Panchayat elections. Negotiations to allow individuals to run who were identified as political party supporters broke down at the last moment. Major parties again sat out the election, with the exception of certain leftist groups. These groups managed to elect about a dozen candidates under the panchayat guidelines, which required running without party affiliation. A majority of the incumbents seeking reelection were defeated, including several veteran panchayat system supporters. Marich Man Singh Shrestha was named as the first ethnic Newar prime minister. April 1990 saw many democratic changes following an agitation movement led by the Nepali Congress Party and the Unified Left Front (a coalition of seven communist parties), which led to demonstrations and strikes primarily in the major cities of Nepal during February and March. The king responded by dissolving the panchayat system, lifting the ban on all political parties, and removing all references to the "partyless" structure from the constitution. At the same time, all political prisoners were released. An interim government sworn in on April 19th and headed by Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai was charged with running the country and guiding democratic reforms until elections could be held. The interim government is made up of members of the Nepali Congress Party, the communist parties of Nepal, royal appointees, and independents. Members of the national Panchayat have formed at least two political parties. A Constitution Reforms Commission was named by the king in late May to draft a new constitution prior to holding elections, which are expected in early 1991. Government and Political Conditions Pending adoption of a new constitution resulting from a democratic reform process which began in April 1990, there is a multi-party political coalition leading a transitional interim government until democratic elections are held. The former "partyless" panchayat system of government, formally established in 1962, granted the king (chief of state) solo authority for all institutions. The government consisted of a Council of Ministers (cabinet) functioning as the executive arm, and the panchayat structure. The Rastriya Panchayat, the National Parliament, with 112 members elected by universal suffrage and 28 members appointed by the king, topped this structure along with a Raj Sabha (Council of State). Nepal is divided into 14 zones and 75 districts. Zonal commissioners and their assistants and chief district officers--all appointees of the central government--administered these areas. The post of zonal commissioner has now been abolished. The former system of local government consisted of town and village panchayats, with every citizen 21 and older being a member of one of these assemblies. At present, Prime Minister Bhattarai heads the interim coalition government. He also maintains his position as acting president of the Nepali Congress Party. U