WEEKS OF heroic struggle by the people of Nepal have forced the
tyrannical King Gyanendra to make concessions as he desperately tries to
cling onto power. Facing a 2 million-strong march on 25 April, Gyanendra
retreated further. Parliament, dissolved by the king four years ago,
will be reinstated. Behind this move was also intense lobbying from
India, fearing a revolutionary mass movement in the neighbouring
country.
While demonstrators celebrated, the seven-party alliance (SPA)
immediately called off the mass march and general strike. Girija Prasad
Koirala, an 85-year old former prime minister (four times) from the
Nepali Congress will head a new government.
However, according to reports, many protestors were in no mood to
accept this climbdown. Having faced the regime’s brutal repression, they
are demanding an end to the monarchy and a republic.
The question now is whether the revolutionary movement will move
ahead or be derailed by the SPA leadership. There is no doubt that the
mass movement of the last few weeks aimed to go much further than the
SPA leaders and has become increasingly radicalised.
Extracts from an article by Per-ake Westerlund, Committee for a
Workers’ International.
Full article is on www.socialistworld.net
For background article see last week’s the socialist available online
www.socialistparty.org.uk/2006/436
