The current political problem in Nepal is a consequence of the unprincipled grabbing of power by the monarch. Still, he could exercise possible options and pacify the troubled situation.

The first option could be that the monarchy uses the power of the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) to control the activities of the Maoists. There had been a moderate encounter just a few days back between the RNA and the Maoist guerrillas, which definitely shows its possible occurrence. A second alternative could be that the Maoists come to terms with the political parties and impose certain conditions to ensure a democratic system of government. These would be a multi-party democratic system, a revision of the Constitution to restrict the special powers of the monarchy to control the army, a greater role of the representatives of the people in the political system of the country and an even sharing of power between the King and the elected representatives. It could occur after a few months, if not now. A third option could be that the King may be forced to change his mind and form an alliance with either of these two organs of power.

If King Gyanendra opts for the first option and make use the Army to crush the Maoist threat, then the resulting zero-sum game could lead to an outbreak of a civil war. The second idea has come into prominence with a dialogue being proposed between the political parties and the Maoists by a key national leader, Surya Bahadur Thapa, a former prime minister and chairman of the Rashtriya Janshakti Party. This has emerged after the political parties' decision to boycott the upcoming legislative and municipal elections, advanced to 2006 instead of 2007. The third way out also emerges from this leader's statement that the monarch should reach a political compromise to resolve the issues confronting the nation. The government should initiate efforts to convert the three-month long ceasefire into a long lasting peace in the country.

The bitter reality is that the King has been accused of muzzling the press. The media ordinance issued in the absence of a parliamentary control has corroded the concept of freedom in the nation. Hence, the media has joined the battle, supported by NGOs, research institutes, and human rights activists. They have been discussing institutional strategies and working to influence democratic behaviour. Regarding elections, the political parties are not giving the slightest heed even to the registration process. Participation in the elections, according to them, is only a farce. Leaders like Krishna Prasad Sitaula believe that the elections are unconstitutional, as it is being held by an unconstitutional monarchy occupying the seat of power. The election results would go in favour of the King as all the state organs are under his control.

A gamut of national human rights groups have called upon the public to boycott the elections announced by the government for municipalities and House of Representatives. This displays the resentment in every informal organization in Nepal towards the King's despotism. They feel that free and fair elections - the foundation pillar of democracy - can only be conducted by a democratically elected government. The midnight raid on the Kantipur FM Radio station is another assault on the democratic polity of the nation by the monarchical government. It is a pointer to the fear present in the mind of the monarch towards threat to his authority that would result from the unpopularity instigated by the broadcasting agencies of the country. It has created great indignation in the minds of the parties and people on the eve of the general elections.

The nationwide strike declared a few days ago questions the viability of the third option, but highlights the other two avenues. The strike, called jointly by the political parties, was called to protest the new press restrictions and the government's call to abolish the broadcasting service in Kantipur. It was critical of the monarchy and its unscrupulous activities. All independent reporting of the insurgent activities of the Maoist elements have also been curbed. Despite of the continuing ceasefire, the Maoists continue their guerrilla activities. They have abducted the son of Lokendra Bahadur Chand, a former prime minister and leader of the Royalist Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP). In course of requesting the Maoists for his son's release, the leader denies any demands made by the Maoists to him. This shows the disturbed relationship persisting between the political parties and the rebels.

King Gyanendra should be more liberal in his approach towards the political system. This would be another worthwhile policy to improve the state of affairs in Nepal and let the other two-power organs work harmoniously to hasten the process of democracy.