Publication

This briefing traces the political decline in Nepal from King Gyanendra's power grab in October 2002, trough the February 2005 royal coup, and to the situation in late 2005 when the international policy of encouraging cooperation between the palace and the political parties came to a dead end. The authors suggest that even though there may still be a place for the monarchy in a new Nepalese political constellation, the international community should not try to decide the country's political institutions. Instead, efforts should be concentrated on the restoration of peace and democracy. One step in this process should be to support the Maoist ceasefire that was announced on 3 September 2005.