The Democracy That Didn’t Deliver?

Nepal's Crisis of Faith

Credit: Shutterstock.com/Zakir1346

On March 9, 2025, thousands of Nepalis gathered in Kathmandu to welcome former King Gyanendra. Nearly two decades ago, Maoist rebels and pro-democracy protestors ousted King Gyanendra in 2008, paving the way for Nepal to become a democratic republic. The spectacle of chants, banners, and celebratory crowds wasn’t merely a nostalgic display but a striking referendum on the country’s democratic experiment. For many, the overwhelmingly positive public reception of the monarch's return symbolized not a longing for royal rule, but disillusionment with a political system that has repeatedly failed to deliver.

Nepal’s transition to democracy was supposed to usher in an inclusive governance, stability, and reform era. However, the promises of participatory politics and responsive institutions remain largely unfulfilled.

Democratic Transition & Its Promise

This moment marked the end of a brutal decade-long civil war that claimed over 17,000 lives and destabilized the nation’s political core. Nepal’s democratic journey began in earnest after the 2006 People’s Movement, culminating in the Comprehensive Peace Accord between the government and the rebels. After the formal abolishment of the monarchy in 2008, Nepal formed its first Constituent Assembly comprising a body of elected representatives. They were entrusted with drafting a new constitution to reflect the aspirations of a diverse and deeply stratified society.

The promise of this transition was significant: to establish a representative system that would rectify centuries of marginalization faced by ethnic minorities such as the Madhesi population of the southern plains, as well as lower castes and women. Federalism was embraced as a mechanism to decentralize power, ensure inclusion, and foster local governance.

Yet, even as elections were held and institutions restructured, the optimism that animated the early years gradually gave way to fatigue. The promise of meaningful change remained unfulfilled for many, especially those who had hoped democracy would address deep-seated socio-economic inequalities and exclusion. Frequent coalition collapses, corruption scandals and constitutional crises have only deepened the disillusionment.

Structural and Institutional Failures

Two decades after its democratic transition, Nepal’s political system remains extensively fragile. Since 2008, Nepal has cycled through 13 governments in 16 years, most collapsing due to unstable coalitions, internal rifts, and opportunistic power-sharing.

The 2008 Constituent Assembly abolished the monarchy but produced a deeply divided legislature. Its failure to draft a constitution led to fresh elections in 2013. The 2015 Constitution marked a democratic breakthrough, introducing federalism, secularism, and provisions for inclusion and representation. However, it also triggered violent protests among ethnic minorities, who saw several key clauses as discriminatory and a betrayal of their long-standing demands for autonomy.

Hopes for a stable government rose in 2017 with a solid leftist victory. Yet by 2020, factional infighting between Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal culminated in Oli’s controversial move to dissolve parliament, a decision later ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

In 2022, another convoluted seven-party alliance returned Dahal to power despite his party winning just 32 parliamentary seats out of 275. The instability persisted into 2024 when Dahal abruptly dropped the Nepali Congress in favor of another party, the UML (Unified Marxist–Leninist). A new power-sharing deal then saw K.P. Oli return as prime minister This cycle of fractured coalition and realignment leading to persistent instability in the country has created a sense of disillusionment with the democratic project in Nepal.

Meanwhile, corruption remains deeply entrenched. In 2024, Nepal’s score on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index slipped to 34, placing it 107th globally. The government has been repeatedly rocked by scandals. One shocking incident was a fake refugee scam where politicians and bureaucrats attempted to smuggle Nepali citizens abroad. This resulted in the arrest of former home and deputy prime ministers in 2023.

Public Disillusionment and the Rise of Royalist Sentiments

Widespread disillusionment with Nepal’s democratic experiment has fueled a resurgence of monarchist nostalgia, no longer dismissed as relics of the past but increasingly embraced by many as symbols of stability and national unity.

Despite increased electoral freedoms, voter turnout has declined, and trust in political parties continues to erode. According to the Asia Foundation’s 2022 survey, only 44.3% of respondents believed Nepal was moving in the right direction—down from 65.6% in 2020. This disillusionment is especially pronounced among youth, who comprise nearly half the population but remain sidelined from leadership.

Amid this vacuum of trust, royalist sentiment has re-emerged. Former King Gyanendra Shah’s public appearance earlier last month attracted massive crowds in Kathmandu. Chants of, “Bring back the monarchy,” echoed across the city. The outpouring, covered primarily by outlets like Al Jazeera, resembled a coronation more than a symbolic appearance, signaling public fatigue with republican politics.

Yet Pragyan Acharya, a Nepali national and recent graduate of Georgetown University in Qatar, now a researcher at the university's Office of Grants and Research Compliance, argues that this royalist resurgence cannot be explained by domestic political dysfunction alone.

“Situating Nepal’s democratic discontent solely within national boundaries is myopic,” he says, “Much of the recent energy for royalist and reactionary forces in Nepal is shaped by regional ideological currents especially the rise of Hindu nationalism in neighboring India and uprising against the corrupt system in places like Bangladesh.”

His observation helps frame the Kathmandu rally on March 9 as more than a rejection of ineffective governance but also as part of a broader transnational wave of conservative and traditionalist revivalism sweeping through South Asia.

It is also evident in the recent performances of the royalist parties like the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP). In the 2022 elections, the RPP secured 14 seats its strongest showing in two decades by campaigning for a Hindu kingdom and constitutional monarchy. Their rhetoric resonates particularly in rural areas where state neglect is deeply felt.

While memories of authoritarian monarchy remain, growing numbers now juxtapose royal rule with today’s fractured, corrupt republic. As 62-year-old Amrit Thapa put it during the March 2025 rally:

“The politicians promised us a republic,” he said, “but all we got was chaos. We’ve run out of options. Only the king is left.”

Nepal’s own transition from a Hindu kingdom to a secular federal republic, while incomplete, faces pressure not just from within, but from shifting ideological winds beyond its borders.

Regional Dynamics and International Implications

Nepal’s democratic disillusionment unfolds within a shifting regional landscape shaped by the growing India-China rivalry. As faith in the democratic system wanes, the country’s geopolitical alignment is increasingly in flux.

India has long been Nepal’s closest partner, bound by geography, trade, and cultural ties. But relations have frayed in recent years amid boundary disputes and perceived Indian interference. Kathmandu’s 2020 release of a new map claiming Kalapani and Lipulekh areas which is now under Indian control intensified tensions, reflecting Nepal’s desire to challenge India’s traditional influence.

This has opened the door for China to gain influence in Nepal. Since joining the Belt and Road Initiative in 2017, Nepal has seen a sharp rise in Chinese engagement. A standout example is the proposed $2.75 billion Trans-Himalayan Railway linking Kathmandu with Tibet, with ground surveys now underway. Chinese firms have also become key players in Nepal’s hydropower sector, expanding Beijing’s influence while helping Nepal tap into its vast energy potential. These moves signal China’s growing economic and strategic footprint in the Himalayan republic.

Political instability has made Nepal more susceptible to foreign leverage. Both China and India now court parties and leaders to secure their interests. India, while maintaining its traditional ties with the Nepali Congress, eyes the rise of Hindu royalist narratives with caution, while China has deepened ties with leftist parties particularly the Communist Party of Nepal. However, neither country supports a return to monarchy as both view it as a potential source of regional instability and diplomatic unpredictability.

But this competition between India and China presents a delicate opportunity for Nepal as well. For example, in 2024 China revived long-stalled Belt and Road Initiative projects in Nepal, including the famous trans-Himalayan railway. India, wary of growing Chinese influence accelerated cross-border rail connectivity and energy cooperation initiatives to reassert its traditional foothold. For Nepal, this geopolitical tug-of-war may yield short-term benefits but without a coherent long-term strategy, it risks deepening external dependencies and further polarizing its internal politics.

Nepal’s current unrest is no longer just a symbolic reckoning. Following former King Gyanendra Shah’s arrival in Kathmandu on March 9, pro-monarchy demonstrations intensified. On March 28, clashes between protesters and security forces resulted in two deaths and numerous injuries. Protesters vandalized properties, looted businesses, and engaged in violent confrontations with police, leading to over 100 arrests. This heavy-handed response has only deepened public anger, highlighting the nation’s ongoing political and social challenges. As Pragyan observed,

“When the appearance of the state mirrors the very repression it claims to resist, it hands ammunition to the reactionary forces seeking a return to the past.”

The answer to this moment is not a return to monarchy but a renewed commitment to democratic reform. To rebuild trust, Nepal must deliver on its founding promises: justice, accountability, and inclusive governance. Otherwise, the crisis of faith may become irreversible.