Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Political change case study

If you are looking for an example of political change that requires some analytical thinking, check out Nepal. Was it a coup? a revolution? democratization?

From the Times (London): Nepal's god king loses his power, prestige and palace

"King Gyanendra of Nepal was stripped of his powers last night after the country's provisional parliament voted to abolish the 239-year-old monarchy...

"The Nepalese monarchy dates from 1769, after the unification of the Kathmandu valley by the Gurkha ruler Prithvi Narayan Shah and the establishment of his dynasty. He also founded Kathmandu, the capital. The kings who succeeded him were said to be reincarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu. It is the last remaining Hindu monarchy.

"'Before kings were part of people's heart,' Mata Pasad Risal, a retired government official, said. 'Now people have turned against him. The King has lost his position and popularity; it will be best for him to leave the palace.'..."



And the latest news is that Nepal's ruling alliance to organise joint meetings

"Nepal's ruling multi-party alliance has decided to organise joint public meetings in seven major cities across the country, including the capital Kathmandu, ahead of the crucial constituent assembly elections expected to be held in mid-April...

"The ruling parties have tentatively decided to hold the key assembly polls that would re-write the Constitution in mid-April. However, the exact date for the poll is yet to be fixed.

"The interim Parliament on Friday passed bills relating to elections, paving the way for fixing a fresh date for the polls which have been postponed twice in the past."



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