Wednesday, February 2, 2005 (Kathmandu):
King Gyanendra of Nepal has named a new 10-member cabinet, a day after sacking the government and imposing an indefinite state of emergency.
In an announcement carried by state television and radio, the monarch named Rames Nath Pandey as foreign minister.
The cabinet also includes a communist member, Radha Krishna Mainali, as sports and education minister.
The new line-up also includes Pravatar Shumsher Rana as finance minister and Dan Bahadur Shahi as home minister.
World community
The king had dismissed the Sher Bahadur Deuba government saying it had failed to make peace with Maoist rebels and hold elections.
The international community has risen against the Nepal king's dramatic move.
The United States has asked Nepal to make an immediate move towards the restoration of multi-party democratic institutions under a constitutional monarchy.
The move has also been condemned by India. "These developments constitute a serious setback to the cause of democracy in Nepal and cannot but be a cause of grave concern to India," the MEA statement said.
State of emergency
A day after Nepal plunged into a political crisis, Nepalese troops are patrolling the capital.
Checkpoints have been set up by the army at one of the city's entrances and armoured military vehicles with mounted machine guns were patrolling the streets.
The King has also suspended several provisions of the constitution, including the freedom of press, speech and expression, the freedom to assemble peacefully, the right to privacy, and the right against preventive detention.
However, flights have been resumed to and from Kathmandu.
Ascent to power
King Gyanendra is not new to controversy. He took over the throne in 2001 after his brother and the entire royal family was massacred apparently by the then King's son, Dipendra.
Gyanendra's coronoation was marked by protests, which were directed against his controversial son, Paras who became crown prince.
Some had even accused Paras of having a hand in the palace killings.
Power struggle
Since he took charge in 2001, this is the fourth time that the King has sacked a government.
For a large part of his reign, Nepal has been without a Parliament, despite several pro-democracy protests.
Gyanendra knows he will have to fight and win a three-way power struggle involving the monarchy, powerful Maoist rebels and Nepal's parliamentary parties.
His success now depends entirely on whether he will be able to bring the Maoist rebels back to the negotiating table and strike some sort of a deal in restoring peace in the country.
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