King fights for throne

Nepalese opposition activists throw stones as policemen take cover at Kalanki in Kathmandu yesterday. Sporadic clashes erupted after Nepal's beleaguered King Gyanendra imposed a fresh curfew on the capital as the opposition vowed to bring an end to his absolute rule over the Himalayan country. PHOTO: AFP

King Gyanendra faces weeks of continued pressure after he gave some ground Friday by offering to return power to the people -- but was dramatically rejected by some 300,000 Nepalis who took to the streets.

Political scientist Professor S.M. Habibullah, of Kathmandu's Tribhuwan University, said Nepal was just "at the beginning" of a protest movement to try to shift power from the monarch to the politicians.

King Gyanendra Friday asked the seven-party opposition alliance to choose a prime minister but politicians refused as he still retained the power to sack political leaders and take outright control of the country.

"The hub of politics is not outside the palace," said Habibullah. "The political parties have already said: we're not ready to take the gift (accept the offer) of the king."

The opposition have stepped up their demands for the reinstatement of parliament, suspended by King Gyanendra in 2002, and the creation of a constituent assembly to decide the future of the monarchy.

"If he goes for the constituent assembly that's going to be the end of the monarch" in his current guise, said one diplomatic source.

But if the protests continue "it will take him a while to get to the stage where he realises he has absolutely no choice," the source said.

King Gyanendra may seek to drive a wedge between the Maoists and the seven-party alliance that is promoting a general strike that has virtually paralysed the impoverished Himalayan kingdom since November 6, analysts said.

The Maoists, who have fought a bloody 10-year insurgency that has left more than 12,500 dead, struck a loose deal with the opposition in November last year.

The politicians agreed to the key Maoist demand for a referendum on the constitution while the rebels agreed to cooperate with the parties.

The seven-party alliance has stuck even though the parties range from the hard left to others who want the king to retain a ceremonial role under any new system.

It has also survived a clampdown during April by King Gyanendra that has seen more than a dozen killed, hundreds wounded and even more arrested.

"The kind of repression that has taken place has united the political parties," said South Asian analyst Sukh Deo Muni.

Analysts said the king could try to exploit the often tempestuous relationships between the alliance to weaken their campaign.

Even while running the country before King Gyanendra seized total control in February last year, Nepal was marked by inter-party feuding and political deadlock.

"The king may try to disintegrate the seven-party alliance," said Mahendra Lama, professor of South Asian Studies at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University.

"The king will try to play the parties against the Maoists. It will be a very, very untenable position.

"If the king becomes obstinate, people may look for the demise of this institution," he said, even though the monarch is traditionally revered as the incarnation of the God Vishnu, the protector.

"The writing is clearly on the wall. If the king remains obstinate this could very well be the case."

There were early signs of the tactic of division in the editorial of Sunday's state-run newspaper, The Rising Nepal, which warned of a "historic blunder" if the opposition parties failed to form a new government.