Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli highlighted before the world Nepal’s long, challenging, and sacrifice-filled journey to establish democracy.

Addressing a United Nations event in Spain, he recounted Nepal’s historical transformation—from the armed conflict that claimed over 17,000 lives, the end of the 104-year Rana regime, the 30-year Panchayat rule, and ultimately the abolition of the 240-year monarchy to establish a republic.

He said that in Nepali culture, centers of learning are considered “temples of wisdom,” and when speaking at Oxford, he felt as though he was standing in one such great temple.

Focusing his speech on Nepal’s journey toward democracy and economic prosperity, he stated, “Nepal’s journey is filled with struggle, sacrifice, and hope.”

He mentioned that Nepal’s modern history began with the unification campaign launched by Prithvi Narayan Shah in 1768 (B.S. 1825), and then pointed out a striking coincidence.

“Nepal’s unification and the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the United States occurred around the same time,” he said.

Speaking about the political developments that followed, he remarked, “For 104 years, under the autocratic Rana regime, the Nepali people were deprived of their freedom.”

He noted that the dawn of democracy in 1951 (B.S. 2007) was crushed by the king, who imposed a party-less Panchayat system.

Referring to the changes brought by the people’s movements of 1990 (B.S. 2046) and 2006 (B.S. 2062/63), he spoke about the end of the Maoist armed conflict and the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. “In the decade-long armed violence, more than 17,000 Nepalis lost their lives,” he said.

“For the first time in our history, the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly elected in 2008 (B.S. 2065) made the historic decision to abolish the 240-year-old Shah monarchy,” he said, “Thus, Nepal was transformed from an absolute monarchy into a democratic republic.”

Stating that his vision of democracy is one of “broad-based democracy,” he said, “A democracy where every individual feels dignity, security, and unlimited potential.”

Declaring that his government’s slogan is “Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali,” he emphasized that Nepal, situated between two economic powerhouses—India and China—has immense potential for economic development.

People’s News Monitoring Service