Gyanendra lifts state of emergency

[TrekNepal]

Nepal's King Gyanendra on Saturday lifted the state of emergency he imposed after seizing power in February, apparently bowing to strong international pressure to restore civil liberties.

"His majesty, in accordance with the constitution, has lifted the order of the state of emergency," a brief palace statement said.

Although the constitution limits emergency rule to three months _ a period set to expire on Sunday _ the king had been widely expected to declare an extension. Even with the end of the emergency, Gyanendra will continue to rule the country directly, without an elected government or parliament.

Gyanendra imposed the measures on Feb. 1 after firing the government, taking absolute power and suspending civil liberties in a move widely condemned in Nepal and abroad.

The palace announcement came after the king's return on Friday from visits to China, Indonesia and Singapore, where leaders pressed him to restore democracy.

Gyanendra met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the sidelines of an African-Asian Summit in Indonesia last week.

[yakshaver]

The constitution allows the king a maximum of three months state of emergency, and he has duly lifted it just before the expiry date. He may have thought he achieved enough for the time being, or was not willing to change the constitution (a step required of him in order to extend the SofEM at present). Maybe it's a bit of both.
I kind of agree with the BBC article, which says that in the main, especially given the two significant military victories of the army against the Maoists in the last couple of months, and the fact that India is talking about lifting it's arms embargo, he would not be unhappy with the result. Of course, the king can put the SoEm in place again in the near future, if he so choses.
After the international exposure gained recently, where he met with a number of heads of state as well as the UN general secretary Kofi Annan, King Gyanendra will look good in their eyes for seemingly listening to their exhortation to lift the state of emergency. This is a shrewed move, and I begin to have a lot more respect for him as a diplomat and leader. In the same breath he says that his Anti Coruption Commission will work as hard as ever and there will be no let up in achieving its aims (former PM Deuba is still under arrest and refuses to cooperate...). Since most of the parlamentary leaders are tainted with corruption and nepotism in some way or another, it will be easy for the king to keep these political leaders of the streets and out of the parliment under the powers of the Anti Corruption body he's set up. A win-win situation for the king. The sum of the last three months is points advantage to king Gyanendra.
Whether this situation will turn into a a good "sustainable solution" for Nepal time will tell.