It is now only a matter of weeks before the 239-year-old monarchy is voted out of existence at the first meeting of the constituent assembly (CA), slated for election for November 22. The historic Congress break with the policy of constitutional monarchy it had followed since its birth has virtually sealed the fate of the monarchy, because all the other constituents in the eight-party alliance (EPA) had already decided to go republican. The other parties, particularly the CPN-Maoist, had sounded wary of the Congress’s intentions vis-à-vis the kingship, given its indecisiveness and flirting with the idea of retaining some form of monarchy. The Congress is a major national political party which enjoys roughly one-third of the national vote.

The four-day meeting (Sept. 23-26) of the Nepali Congress Mahasamiti passed a republican political resolution and election manifesto. So, now, republic will form a major common electoral plank of the EPA that spearheaded Jana Andolan II.

Most of the tiny parties outside the EPA have also supported republicanism. The EPA partners have hailed the Congress decision; even the Maoists, who are insisting on the fulfilment of their 22 demands, including the pre-CA declaration of a republic, have described the Congress’s new stand as a “step forward”. Therefore, on the question of the Maoists’ demand for immediate republic, compromise should not be difficult now. An EPA joint public

commitment to republicanism or the parliament’s passage of a motion to that effect could find a way out. Because the Maoists have already taken the plunge by pulling out of the government, they would want to give the public the impression that their demands have been met. Otherwise, they would be unlikely to re-join the interim government, since it would cause a considerable loss of face to them just ahead of the CA elections.

The Maoists’ condition of full proportional representation has come late, because they had agreed, way back, in a departure from their own earlier stance, to the Congress’s proposal for the mixed electoral system. In contrast, the CPN-UML wrote a note of dissent in favour of full proportionality. That being said, the soundness of full proportionality, particularly for the CA elections, has been generally recognised. The EPA partners, almost all of the various agitating groups, and probably most political experts, prefer it. Since the Maoists have already agreed to the mixed system, they ought to honour it even if the Congress did not budge from its stand.

However, if the eight parties decide to revise the existing decision, there is just the eleventh hour remaining. The stark fact recognised by the EPA leaders is that the CA polls would be meaningless if the Maoists stayed away. The EPA partners, therefore, have to decide, and decide very soon, whether it would be better for them, and more important, for the country, to reach some sort of agreement on full proportionality to hold the CA elections or to risk spoiling the chance that the people have won after a long struggle and at a very high cost.