New Delhi, India – With thousands of protesters on the streets of Katmandu, the government of King Gyanendra this week promised to hold elections and described its commitment to democracy as “unflinching.”
Speaking to the U.N. General Assembly late Wednesday, Nepal’s foreign minister, Ramesh Nath Pandey, said local elections could be held in April and national parliamentary elections by April 2008.
Although the king has repeatedly said he believes in an elected system of government, Pandey’s comments offered the most specific timetable for elections to date.
Pandey said the king is committed to “re-energize multiparty democratic institutions by restoring sustainable peace and making democracy meaningful, matured, cultured and refined.”
King Gyanendra removed the country’s elected parliament more than two years ago and assumed absolute control over the country’s affairs in February by declaring emergency rule. At the time, the palace said the step was taken because the country’s politicians had failed to crush a crippling Maoist insurgency.
Although emergency rule has been lifted, many restrictions on civil liberties remain, and Nepal, with a population of roughly 23 million, continues to be ruled by a handpicked palace Cabinet.
Critics questioned the latest pledges from the palace and wondered aloud how elections could be held.
“The present regime has lost control of, or does not sufficiently dominate, large areas of the country, and holding a credible election – with adequate security to candidates and poll officials – does not appear likely,” said Ajai Sahni, executive director of the Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management.
