An end to the ceasefire would naturally mean resumption of violence. But there is still some hope that the Maoists will continue with their unilateral ceasefire for some time. |
Emotions are building up and more and more people are coming out and openly opposing the king. |
He has two choices. One, come to an understanding with political parties accepting the role of a constitutional monarch. Two, go totally repressive as a dictator and risk the monarchy's future in the long run. |
It was a missed opportunity. He was a royal but he didn't expect to be king, so he was also a commoner. He could have given a new thrust to the monarchy. |
Morally and constitutionally, the king is getting weaker. |
People are tired of strikes and disruptions. There is a sense of fatigue. |
That kind of traditional respect is over. A kind of momentum is building up. |
That will most certainly disrupt the November polls and will also weaken state institutions, which the Maoists want. |
That will most certainly disrupt the November polls and will also weaken state institutions, which the Maoists want. |
The gap between the crowd, which is quite ferocious, and the political leaders is wide. They're not quite comfortable facing the crowd and interacting with them. |
The king has only one choice -- accept the reality and postpone the municipal elections as it alone would create a minimum ground for a dialogue with political parties. |
The king's move meets one important aspect - the end of autocratic rule. Why are the parties not accepting? I think they are a bit scared of the crowd because they are not in direct communication with the crowd. |
The level of defiance is unprecedented - it never happened before, even in 1990. |
There is increasing defiance, there are more and more people coming to participate. |
There is likely to be a sharp polarization on whether to retain a ceremonial monarchy or retain the monarchy at all. |