US embassy cable - 02KATHMANDU1932

UNCLAS KATHMANDU 001932 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR SA/INS 
LONDON FOR POL - RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, NP, Government of Nepal (GON) 
SUBJECT: NEPAL'S KING ASSUMES EXECUTIVE POWERS, DISMISSES 
CABINET 
 
REF: A. (A) KATHMANDU 1781 
     B. (B) KATHMANDU 1901 
 
1.  (U) At approximately 11:00 p.m. local time on October 4, 
King Gyanendra announced on state-run television and radio 
that he had dismissed the government of Prime Minister Sher 
Bahadur Deuba because of its "incompetence" in being unable 
to hold mid-term elections,  scheduled to begin November 13. 
Invoking his authority under Clause 127 of the Constitution 
to remove any "difficulty" that occurs in the implementation 
of the Constitution, the monarch said that he would assume 
executive powers until the appointment of a new cabinet in 
five days.  The King stipulated that members of the new 
Cabinet must have "a clean image" and will be ineligible to 
stand in the next election, which he has postponed 
indefinitely.  Gyanendra emphasized that he fully supports 
multi-party democracy and will never allow the democratic 
system to be compromised. 
 
2.  (SBU)  Public reaction to the King's announcement has so 
far been muted.  Kathmandu streets were calm as of 12:00 p.m. 
October 5.  So far the only public demonstration has been an 
orderly, pro-Palace rally of about 300-400 at midday in the 
center of town.  Once the Prime Minister and leaders of other 
political parties asked the King to postpone elections (Ref 
B), many observers expected the monarch to step into the 
constitutional void in some manner.  But many of the same 
political leaders who asked the King to postpone elections 
also expected to participate in the caretaker government 
appointed by the King.  The criteria for the caretaker 
Cabinet laid out by the King, however, may have substantially 
altered those expectations. 
MALINOWSKI