Royal coup: King Gyanendra dismisses Deuba govt

Royal coup: King Gyanendra dismisses Deuba govt

Tuesday, February 1, 2005 (Kathmandu):

In a dramatic development, Nepal's King Gyanendra today sacked Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's coalition government.

The king assumed all executive powers for the next three years and declared a state of emergency.

59-year-old Deuba, who was nominated by the king as prime minister in June last year, termed the action as anti-democratic which will throw the country into a grave crisis.

Royal takeover

Charging the Deuba government with failing to hold talks with Maoist rebels and conduct parliamentary elections by April, the king in a televised address to the nation said, "I hereby dismiss Deuba government and assume all executive powers, in line with the constitution.

"The government has not done anything with seriousness to start the election process within the stipulated time frame," he said announcing Deuba's second dismissal in three years.

The 55-year-old monarch, who assumed the throne in 2001 following the gunning down of his brother King Birendra, declared that a new government will be formed under his leadership.

"The new government will restore peace and effective democracy in this country within the next three years," he promised.

State of emergency

Later, the state-run television reported that a state of emergency has been declared in the country and all fundamental rights of citizens have been suspended.

King Gyanendra, who is also the supreme commander of the 78,000-member strong Nepalese Army, said security forces will be given more power to maintain law and order.

The royal takeover comes at a time when most political parties were demanding the restoration of Parliament, which had been suspended two years back by King Gyanendra.

Deuba had been pushing for elections despite the civil strife and no one had any idea that the monarch would resort to such drastic measures.

Maoist crisis

Earlier, King Gyanendra had sacked Deuba in 2002 for failing to hold elections.

But the monarch had then appointed him as prime minister in June 2004 and asked him to conduct parliamentary elections and hold peace talks with the Maoist rebels.

Nepal has been facing a Maoist insurgency since 1996.

The rebels have refused to hold talks with the government, join mainstream politics and end violence.

Security tightened

Meanwhile, armoured vehicles with mounted machine guns patrolled the streets of Kathmandu amid reports that several politicians were put under house arrest.

Policemen were also stationed at government offices and residences of several political leaders.

Kathmandu airport was closed and all telephone lines, including mobile phone services, were disconnected soon after the royal announcement. (With wire inputs)

from ndtv.com