Katmandu, Nepal – Nepal’s Maoist militants on Tuesday rejected the king’s decision to restore parliament in the wake of bloody anti-monarchy protests, dismissing the royal announcement as nothing but a ploy.
The insurgents’ statement – which came as tens of thousands of people flooded the streets to welcome the king’s move as a victory for democracy – made it clear the Himalayan nation’s political crisis was far from over.
The underground army’s top leaders called the king’s announcement “a conspiracy to protect the regime” and said their allies in a seven-party opposition alliance had betrayed them by accepting it.
It remained unclear whether the Maoists – whose 10-year campaign for power has left more than 13,000 people dead – would turn violently against the parties, former enemies with whom they allied only recently.
But three weeks of crippling protests they helped organize are thought to have given them significant inroads into the capital, and they have the manpower and weaponry to make it difficult for the parties to form a stable government.
Some observers believe the insurgents were hoping to use the near-chaos of the protests to catapult themselves to power.
“The Maoists think this is their last, best chance,” U.S. Ambassador James Moriarty said last week, as the increasingly isolated royal government appeared to be nearing collapse.
On Tuesday, though, there was euphoria on the streets as opposition leaders nominated a former prime minister to head the new government and the capital came back to life.
“The king, his army and their guns were no match against the strength of the people,” said Sangita Karki, an office worker attending the victory rally in Katmandu. “We won, he lost.”
Hundreds of riot police lined up to stop demonstrators from marching toward the royal palace a few hundred yards away.
Witnesses said there was one minor clash, with a brief exchange of rocks and tear gas.
