By Royal Appointment

• Share

When King Gyanendra reinstated Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba last week, it seemed that Nepal's bumpy political merry-go-round had come full circle. The King first sacked Deuba in October 2002, accusing the Prime Minister of "incompetence" for failing to unite Nepal's fractious political parties and crush the kingdom's bloody Maoist insurgency. Since then, Gyanendra has appointed—and seen depart—two more Prime Ministers, endured months of violent protests against his royalist government, and watched the Maoist rebellion claim as many as 3,000 lives. Thus his decision to return Deuba to power was widely viewed as an admission of failure—and a victory for the parties that had finally united against the King.

But within hours of Deuba's appointment, Nepal's political leaders reverted to their usual bickering. The nation's communist parties, disappointed that their candidate hadn't been tapped for the top job, waffled over whether to support Deuba's government. And Nepal's Congress Party (of which Deuba heads a breakaway faction) refused to cooperate with the new Prime Minister, with one leader even vowing to continue antigovernment protests.

Such are the squabbles that have given Nepal 14 governments in as many years. Indeed, some suspect the true purpose of Gyanendra's move may be to vindicate himself by reminding his people of just how inept their politicians are. Nonetheless, after 20 months of deadlock between the King and Nepal's political parties, many feel that any change is welcome. "At last, something has moved," sighs one South Asian diplomat. And not a moment too soon: Maoist leaders say they are preparing for a "nationwide attack" against the government in the near future. Deuba must make peace with the opposition and confront the growing Maoist problem, or Nepal will keep going round in circles.