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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

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. 
 

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