Global Politics Explainer

CWA # 1657
Global Politics Explainer
Nepal’s Pro-Monarchy Protests:
Who wants the King to return and who opposes it?
And Why?

Abhishiktha S Kumar
18 April 2025

Photo Source: AP Photo

On 28 March 2025, a pro-monarchy protest in Kathmandu turned violent as clashes between protesters and the police led to multiple injuries and fatalities. The response from the parties and civil society is mixed; a section demands the return of the monarchy and/or providing a space for it in the governance, while the other opposes it. 

What triggered the violence during the 28 March 2025 protest? 
There has been public discontent due to corruption and misgovernance. King Gyanendra Shah public appearances and speeches in this background gathered support and snowballed into a pro-monarchy movement.  On 19 Feb 2025, he urged the public to support bring back "prosperity, peace, happiness, and development.. Supporters showed up on 09 March 2025 at the Tribhuvan International Airport, chanting slogans like "Bring back the King" or "Long live Hindu kingdom", which was the first sign of growing resistance. 

The Rashtriya Prajatantra party, considered pro-king, led by Durga Prasai, organized a rally that became violent. There was a sudden surge of protestors fighting with the police, which resulted in two deaths and more than a hundred being injured. They also vandalized buildings, public property, and nearby shops. The growing dissatisfaction among youth due to lack of job opportunities and slow development was a big factor; youth in their 20s were more in numbers compared to the other age groups. 

⁠On the return of King and violence in Kathmandu, who stands where? 
The government is solely blaming the former king for "attempting to disrupt social harmony and create division" in the country. PM Oli in the parliament openly criticized the former king and challenged him to contest elections and win it fair and square. Many members demanded the arrest of the former king as well. Senior members from the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Centre), Janata Samajbadi Party, Janamat Party, Nagarik Unmukti Party, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party, CPN (Unified Socialist), and Nepal Samajbadi Party were all convened together by PM Oli where they concluded that democracy should continue in Nepal. 

The monarchists blamed the government as they stated it was due to the failure of the government to fulfil their duties and being corrupt and selfish which resulted in the public retaliating.  Rastriya Prajatantra Party fought back and raised its voices in the parliament when the former king was being criticized and even stated that the arrests were "arbitrary in nature." They organized another rally on 04 April 2025 demanding the release of RPP members. King Gyanendra Shah has not publicly stated or confirmed anything and has kept a low profile on this matter.

Civil society activists have strongly criticized these rallies that want to "disregard the fundamentals of the constitution" and reinstate the monarchy. They also alleged India's involvement and complained of Hindu fundamentalists influencing these rallies and desire a return to monarchy. They mentioned how bringing back the monarchy would reverse all the development process, reduce Nepal's position in front of other countries and completely disregard the fight their ancestors had to remove it. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is being linked to the rally due to his past remarks supporting monarchy and his ties to the Gokarnath Mutt. 

The general public is split. A section of the population wants to restore the monarchy, while another group is fighting for the continuation of democracy. 

What has been Nepal’s recent political history?
Nepal has a long history of political changes from shifts between multiple dynasties to transitioning from a monarchy to a federal democratic republic. These shifts were filled with conflict, tensions, and challenges. Until 2006, Nepal was a constitutional monarchy. The end of the monarchy era was initiated with the Maoist insurgency in 1996 when the communist party of Nepal began a decade-long insurgency against monarchy and demanded the establishment of a people's republic. A turning point was with the royal massacre where Prince Dipendra Bir Bikram killed his father, King Birendra, and other eight royal family members. This event led to King Gyanendra ascending the throne. The People's Movement of 2006, ultimately forced him to relinquish power and reinstate the parliament. In May 2008, Nepal formally abolished the 239-year-old monarchy and declared itself a Federal Democratic Republic.

The post-monarchy era was not smooth sailing and has been plagued with political instability. In 2015, when the Constitution was promulgated, it faced criticism and protests from certain indigenous communities as they felt marginalized. In the span of 17 years, Nepal saw 14 different administrations. There has been growing discontent in the public over how the government is running things. There has been a rise in corruption, ineffective governance, slow development, and a lack of employment opportunities. The lack of opportunities and facilities at home is driving young people to seek work abroad, increasing foreign labor migration. Due to these reasons, a certain sect of people strongly believes that bringing monarchy would bring better stability and correct the flaws of this democratic government.

What's next for Nepal?
The protests, violence and pro-monarchy support should be a major wake-up call for the government and political leadership. The recent development is a depiction of citizens' loss of faith with the government functioning. People are tired of watching power being rotated between the top three parties only, with barely any improvement in their lives.  

It is not a fight between monarchy and democracy, but rather them demanding the change and development that "democracy" would give them. 

About the author
Abhishiktha S Kumar is an undergraduate student at the Department of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Public Policy, St Joseph’s University, Bengaluru. 
 

PREVIOUS COMMENTS

February 2026 | CWA # 1959

Yesasvi Koganti | Yesasvi Koganti is an undergraduate student from Madras Christian College, Chennai.

UK and China
February 2026 | CWA # 1957

R Preetha | R Preetha is pursuing post-graduation in the Department of International Studies, Stella Maris College, Chennai, and is a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru.

The India–US interim trade framework
February 2026 | CWA # 1956

Lekshmi MK | Lekshmi MK is pursuing post-graduation in the Department of Political Science, Madras Christian College, Chennai, and is a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru.

End of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START)
State of Global Politics 2025
December 2025 | CWA # 1931

Padmashree Anandhan

NATO Summit 2025
State of Global Politics 2025
December 2025 | CWA # 1924

Padmashree Anandhan

NATO Summit 2025
This Week in History
August 2025 | CWA # 1801

R Preetha

28 August 1963
TWTW note
August 2025 | CWA # 1780

Abhiruchi Chowdhury

Trump tariffs:
This Week in History
August 2025 | CWA # 1778

Lekshmi MK

28 July 1914
TWTW Note
June 2025 | CWA # 1694

Aashish Ganeshan

The US:
CW Note
May 2025 | CWA # 1689

Padmashree Anandhan

Ukraine
CW Note
May 2025 | CWA # 1688

Ayan Datta

Gaza
CW Note
May 2025 | CWA # 1675

Lekshmi MK

Turkey:
CW Note
May 2025 | CWA # 1673

Padmashree Anandhan

Ukraine:
TWTW Note
May 2025 | CWA # 1667

R Preetha and Brighty Ann Sarah

East Asia:
NIAS Global Politics Database
March 2024 | CWA # 1251

NIAS Africa Team

Africa This Week
NIAS Global Politics Database
February 2024 | CWA # 1226

NIAS Africa Team

Africa This Week
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1189

Hoimi Mukherjee | Hoimi Mukherjee is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science in Bankura Zilla Saradamani Mahila Mahavidyapith.

Chile in 2023: Crises of Constitutionality
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1187

Aprajita Kashyap | Aprajita Kashyap is a faculty of Latin American Studies, School of International Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi.

Haiti in 2023: The Humanitarian Crisis
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1185

Binod Khanal | Binod Khanal is a Doctoral candidate at the Centre for European Studies, School of International Studies, JNU, New Delhi.

The Baltic: Energy, Russia, NATO and China
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1183

Padmashree Anandhan | Padmashree Anandhan is a Research Associate at the School of Conflict and Security Studies, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangaluru.

Germany in 2023: Defence, Economy and Energy Triangle
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1178

​​​​​​​Ashok Alex Luke | Ashok Alex Luke is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science at CMS College, Kottayam.

China and South Asia in 2023: Advantage Beijing?
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1177

Annem Naga Bindhu Madhuri | Annem Naga Bindhu Madhuri is a postgraduate student at the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies at the University of Madras, Chennai.

China and East Asia
The War in Ukraine
October 2023 | CWA # 1091

Annem Naga Bindhu Madhuri

Issues for Europe
IPRI Quarterly Forecasts I Triggers, Trends, and Trajectories
July 2023 | CWA # 1012

Bibhu Prasad Routray

Myanmar continues to burn
2022: The World This Year
December 2022 | CWA # 879

Padmashree Anandhan

The Ukraine War
Europe: Heatwaves, Wildfires, Droughts, and Ice Melt in Alps
November 2022 | CWA # 838

Rishma Banerjee

Tracing Europe's droughts
NIAS Africa Weekly
March 2022 | CWA # 705

NIAS Africa Team

In Focus: Libya
The World This Week: 150th Issue
December 2021 | CWA # 630

GP Team

Europe in 2021
Pakistan Reader
October 2021 | CWA # 588

Abigail Miriam Fernandez

TLP is back again
NIAS Fortnightly on Science, Technology & International Relations
August 2021 | CWA # 528

STIR Team

Space Tourism
Science, Technology and International Relations
September 2019 | CWA # 162

Lakshman Chakravarthy N

5G: A Primer
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 71

Mahesh Bhatta | Centre for South Asian Studies, Kathmandu

Nepal
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 70

Nasima Khatoon | Research Associate, ISSSP, NIAS

The Maldives
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 69

Harini Madhusudan | Research Associate, ISSSP, NIAS

India
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 68

Sourina Bej | Research Associate, ISSSP, NIAS

Bangladesh
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 67

Seetha Lakshmi Dinesh Iyer | Research Associate, ISSSP, NIAS

Afghanistan