Nepal's Ex-King Calls to Delay Election, Sparking Political Turmoil

Gyanendra Shah was removed by parliamentary decision in July 2008, ending the centuries-old monarchy in Nepal, according to the Kathmandu Post report.

Yet ongoing political instability, frequent government changes, and public dissatisfaction have kept him in the public eye and made his statements politically significant, it further stated.

Elections are slated to be held on March 5 after former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli and several of his cabinet colleagues resigned in September in the face of Gen Z protests last year, alleging corruption and nepotism against the government.

According to the report, in a video message, Shah said the election is being pushed forward despite widespread disagreement and protests, adding that holding polls against public sentiment would not produce a lasting solution to the country's current political crisis.

The Nepal daily interpreted the message as a signal encouraging those opposed to the current political process to reconsider participation in the election, placing pressure on the government and political parties to respond to the concerns raised.

Shah reportedly questioned the legitimacy of the interim government overseeing the election, noting it was not formed through a fully constitutional process and asking who would bear responsibility for any negative consequences.

In response, The Kathmandu Post quoted an unnamed minister that Shah's statement is "objectionable".

He also insisted that the government is committed to holding the elections, it added.

Meanwhile, a pro-monarchy movement seeking the restoration of a constitutional Hindu monarchy began last year, triggering large rallies in Kathmandu and other parts of the country.

Support for the movement has been fueled by political instability, frequent government changes, and public dissatisfaction with governance, which monarchists argue can be resolved by returning to a monarchical system. Prominent figures include leaders of the pro-monarchy Rastriya Prajatantra Party, which has long been calling for a "new agreement" between political parties and the former king to steer the country towards political stability.

Recent reports mentioned the detention of royalist Durga Prasain on the charge of attempting to disrupt the elections. Once aligned with other parties, Prasain has lately embraced monarchist views and calls for the restoration of a Hindu kingdom, added the Kathmandu Post.

The movement has sharpened political polarisation and posed a challenge to the electoral process, with calls to postpone or boycott elections and demands for broader consensus before voting. Its future influence will depend on the movement's ability to sustain mass support, the response of mainstream parties and security institutions, and whether grievances driving the movement are addressed through political reforms, according to some analysts.

After the 1990 restoration of multiparty democracy, monarchist sentiment persisted among sections of the bureaucracy, conservative parties, and rural constituencies. Support for the monarchy intensified during the early 2000s amid Maoist insurgency and political turmoil, especially after the king assumed direct rule in the mid‑2000s; popular mass movements that followed forced a return to parliamentary rule and ultimately led to the abolition of the monarchy and proclamation of a republic in 2008.

Since then, royalist forces, including political parties, civic groups, and high‑profile individuals, kept the monarchist agenda alive, campaigning for a constitutional Hindu monarchy or a negotiated "new agreement" between parties and the crown. These groups have used rallies, party politics, and public appeals to press their demands.

- IANS