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Gyanendra of Nepal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| ज्ञानेन्द्र वीर बिक्रम शाहदेव Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev |
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|---|---|
| King of Nepal | |
| Reign | 1950-1951 |
| Born | July 7, 1947 |
| Kathmandu , Nepal | |
| Predecessor | Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah Dev Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev |
| Heir-Apparent | Paras, Crown Prince of Nepal |
| Successor | Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah Dev |
| Consort | Komal Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah |
| Issue | Paras, Prerana |
| Royal House | Shah dynasty |
| Father | Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev |
| Mother | Indra Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah |
Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (Nepali: ज्ञानेन्द्र वीर बिक्रम शाहदेव; Jñānendra Vīra Vikrama Śāhadeva) (born July 7, 1947) is the reigning King of Nepal since June 4, 2001. He succeeded to the Nepali throne upon the death of his nephew Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah, who was King for only three days while he was in a coma, following a massacre of the preceding king (King Gyanendra's brother, Birendra) and other members of the royal family.
In February 2005 King Gyanendra took complete control of the government, dismissing the elected parliament, but in April 2006 popular pressure caused him to return power to the parliament. His status has now been reduced to ceremonial monarch.
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As the second son of King Mahendra, the young Gyanendra was declared king for two months (1950–1951) when the rest of his family was in exile in India, but was not internationally recognized.[1] His grandfather Tribhuvan returned to the throne shortly after, when the Rana family conceded power. He studied with his brother King Birendra in St. Joseph's College, Darjeeling, India. In 1969 he graduated from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu.[2]
Gyanendra married Komal Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah on May 1, 1970. They have two children;
- Crown Prince Paras Bir Bikram Shah Dev (born December 30, 1971)
- Princess Prerana Rajya Laxmi Devi (born February 20, 1978).
The events surrounding the Royal Massacre on June 1, 2001 has proved very controversial in the country. A section of people still believe that King Gyanendra is the mastermind behind the royal massacre.[3] This theory is held among some sections of the population, mainly due to the fact that Gyanendra succeeded the massacred Royals to the throne. A two man investigation team made up Keshav Prasad Upadhaya the then Supreme Court Chief Justice and Taranath Ranabhat the then speaker of the house of representative carried out the week long investigation into the massacre.[4] The investigation concluded after interviewing more than 100 people including eyewitnesses and palace officials, guards and staff that Dipendra had carried out the massacre.[5] As his nephew lay in a coma Gyanendra was named regent but following Dipendra's death on June 4, 2001 Gyanendra ascended the throne.[6]
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During his early years on the throne, Gyanendra sought to exercise full control over the government. In May 2002 he supported the popularly elected Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba when he dismissed the parliament elected in 1999. In October 2002 he dismissed Deuba and consolidated his power for the first time. During the years 2002 to 2005 he chose and subsequently dismissed three prime ministers, finally dismissing Deuba for the second time and taking over as absolute ruler on 1st February 2005.[7] His brother King Birendra had negotiated a constitutional monarchy during his rule in a delicate manner in which he, as King, played a minor role in government. So King Gyanendra's confrontational approach with the established political parties met with widespread censure.
When King Gyanendra took complete control for the second time on 1st February 2005, he accused prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's government of failing to make arrangements for parliamentary elections and of being unable to restore peace in the country, then in the midst of a civil war led by Maoist insurgents.[8]
King Gyanendra promised that "peace and effective democracy" would be restored within three years,[9] but the period of direct rule was accompanied by repression of dissent.[10] International organizations expressed grave concerns about the safety of journalists and human rights activists, following the king's decision to restrict civil liberties, including freedom of the press, the constitutional protection against censorship and the right against preventive detention[11] Gyanendra countered, saying that "democracy and progress contradict one another" as a necessary step in restoring peace to the country.
In April 2006 constitutionalists staged protests and strikes in Kathmandu against King Gyanendra's direct rule. The royal government responded by declaring a curfew, which was enforced with live firearms and tear gas. The government's response drew condemnation from other countries including India and the United States. On 21 April 2006 King Gyanendra announced that he would yield executive authority to a new prime minister chosen by the political parties to oversee the return of democracy. Several party leaders rejected the offer and again demanded that the king call a council to determine the monarchy's future role in politics. On 24 April 2006 King Gyanendra reinstated the previous parliament in a televised address to the nation.
On 10 June 2006, the parliament scrapped the major powers of the king, including his right to veto laws. This ended the idea of a "King in Parliament," and now he remains powerless. According to Article 167 of the constitution, all executive powers as well as those enjoyed by the king in the previous Constitution now vest upon the prime minister. All powers of the 238-year-old monarchy have been stripped, making King Gyanendra a civilian king under the interim constitution. The king retains the throne and crown at present, but the fate of monarchy will be decided by the constituent assembly, whose election is rescheduled for November 22, 2007, that will be directly chosen by the electorate.
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who previously supported the continuation of the monarchy, said in March, 2007 that he thinks the king should step down. [12] In June, Koirala repeated his call for King Gyanendra to abdicate in favour of his grandson Prince Hridayendra.[13]
On August 23, 2007 Nepal's transitional government nationalised all the properties King Gyanendra inherited from his brother including the Narayanhity Royal Palace. The move did not affect the properties he owned before his ascension to throne.[14]
- Grand Cross of the House Order of Orange (The Netherlands), 1967
- Knight Grand Cordon of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (Thailand), 1979
- Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit (France), 1983
- Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George 1986
- Grand Cross of Order of Isabel La Catolica (Spain), 1987
- His Holy Majesty, King of the Lands of the Nepalese People and Knight of the Holy and Most Majestic Order of the Rose of Jordan
- ^ Royal Ark
- ^ Profile of King Gyanendra
- ^ Nepal's Royal Massacre in Its Sixth Year
- ^ Nepal massacre inquiry begins, at long last
- ^ Prince blamed for Nepal massacre
- ^ Nepal mourns slain king
- ^ Staff writer. "Troubled times saw king's rise", CNN, 2006-04-20.
- ^ Staff writer. "Nepal's king declares emergency", BBC News, 2005-02-01.
- ^ Staff writer. "Nepal's king sacks government", CNN.com, 2005-02-01.
- ^ Staff writer. "Nepal's king acts against dissent", BBC News, 2005-02-03.
- ^ State of Emergency Imperils Information Flow. International Freedom of Expression eXchange. Retrieved on 2006-11-27.
- ^ Nepal's king is made to cut staff
- ^ King urged to let boy, 5, be Nepal’s saviour
- ^ Nepal nationalises royal palaces
- Royal Court of Nepal
- Unofficial translation of the commission report on the palace incident
- King of Nepal is stoned by crowd. BBC 16 February 2007
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Gyanendra of Nepal
Born: July 7 1947 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah |
King of Nepal 1950-1951 |
Succeeded by Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah |
| Preceded by Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah |
King of Nepal 2001-present |
Incumbent Designated heir: Crown Prince Paras |