Thousands of supporters attend pro-monarchy rally at the airport as former king returns to the capital from the country’s west.
Large crowds have greeted Nepal’s former king in the capital, Kathmandu, calling for the reinstatement of his abolished monarchy amid dissatisfaction over the state of the country.
An estimated 10,000 supporters of Gyanendra Shah on Sunday gathered near the main entrance to Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport as he arrived from a trip to western Nepal.
“Vacate the royal palace for the king. Come back king, save the country. Long live our beloved king. We want monarchy,” the crowds chanted.
Passengers were forced to walk to and from the airport, with hundreds of riot police blocking the peaceful demonstrators from entering the premises.
Gyanendra, 77, was crowned in 2001 after his elder brother Birendra Bir Bikram Shah and his family were killed in a mass murder that wiped out most of the royal family.
He ruled as the constitutional head of state without executive or political powers until 2005, when he seized absolute power, saying he was acting to defeat anti-monarchy Maoist rebels. The king disbanded the government and parliament, jailed politicians and journalists and cut off communications, declaring a state of emergency and using the army to rule the country.
The moves triggered huge street protests, forcing Gyanendra in 2006 to hand power to a multi-party government. That government signed a peace deal with the Maoists, ending a decade-long civil war that caused thousands of deaths.
In 2008, Gyanendra stepped down from the throne after parliament voted to abolish Nepal’s 240-year-old Hindu monarchy, transforming the country into a secular republic.
But since then, Nepal has had 13 governments, and many in the country have grown frustrated with the republic. They say it has failed to bring about political stability and blame it for a struggling economy and widespread corruption.
‘Incompetence of politicians’
Rally participants said they were hoping for a change in the political system to stop the country from further deteriorating.
“We are here to give the king our full support and to rally behind him all the way to reinstating him in the royal throne,” Thir Bahadur Bhandari, 72, told The Associated Press news agency.
Among the thousands was 50-year-old carpenter Kulraj Shrestha, who had taken part in the 2006 protests against the king but has changed his mind and now supports the monarchy.
“The worst thing that is happening to the country is massive corruption and all politicians in power are not doing anything for the country,” Shrestha told AP. “I was in the protests that took away monarchy hoping it would help the country, but I was mistaken and the nation has further plunged so I have changed my mind.”
Gyanendra has not commented on the calls for the return of monarchy. Despite the growing support, Gyanendra has slim chances of returning to power.
Political analyst Lok Raj Baral told the AFP news agency that he did not see any possibility of the monarchy being restored because the institution had been “a source of instability”.
“For some disgruntled groups, it has become a retreat due to incompetence of politicians who have grown increasingly self-centred. This frustration has manifested in such gatherings and demonstrations,” he said.
