The fall of a kingdom

There were lots of public celebrations in Kathmandu, capital city of Nepal, after the announcement about the abolition of the Nepalese Monarchy. A constituent assembly voted to remove king Gyanendra (and the whole royal institution that he represented) from power, and to turn Nepal into a republic.

Not everything were celebrations and jubilation, as some groups loyal to the king and the Nepalese royalty allegedly reacted violently to the decision. Regardless, the days of the Nepalese Monarchy come to an end after 240 years, and king Gyanendra was requested to leave the royal palace that will eventually become a museum.

An interesting fact is that a political party that claims to have a Maoist tendency will be ruling the new republic. It is not clear yet whether the new republic will follow a communist system. It is true that Nepal is leaving an absolutist system in which the king's will was the law. However, supposing that Nepal will indeed be ruled in a communist fashion, then we should really wonder how beneficial was to overthrow the Monarchy in the first place, as many communist regimes around the world have proved to excel in violations of human rights, censorship of freedom of speech, and brutal repression of ideologies that differ from the ruling party's. However, these are only scenarios that may happen, and by no means I am guaranteeing that this is the way things will work in a foreseeable future.

In any case, congratulations to the people of Nepal for finding a peaceful way to transition, and I sincerely hope that this change comes for good for their nation.

Read the full note from BBC News