Nepal Becomes a Republic
Nepal is in the final stages of booting out its centuries-old monarchy. The royal flag has been lowered at the main palace and the new national flag hoisted in its place. A new assembly has voted out the royal administration, which briefly assumed absolute power following a massacre of the royals by one of their own. The new king failed to tackle the Maoist rebels and negotiations eventually led to a new republican administration.
Nepal is nestled high in the Himalayas and is home to the Gurkhas – an elite band of British soldiers famed for their hardiness.
Nepal will become the world’s newest republic after East Timor (Timor L’est), marking an end to the decade of violence that preceded the peace agreement. Unlike the British monarchy, the Nepalese royal family had often ruled with absolute powers, although there had been a few flirtations with multi-party politics.
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