As the major parliamentary parties are bracing for a showdown with the royal government beginning this week, a major poll conducted by Himal khabarpatrika, a leading private sector fortnightly, has revealed that nearly two-third of the respondents are not happy with the direct rule of the king.

Interestingly, the poll revealed that more than 46 percent of the people were still in favour of constitutional monarchy while only 15 percent said monarchy was not required in Nepal.

The poll, conducted among 5,000 people in 37 out of 75 districts of the country, showed that more than 60 percent of the respondents viewed that the king, parties and the Maoists should sit for dialogue to find a solution to the present political crisis. Furthermore, around 59 percent said that the solution to the crisis could not be achieved through military means.

Majority of them (90 percent) expressed concern over the deteriorating political situation of the country. Around 37 percent said that situation was very grave. People in the rural parts of the country were more concerned with the conflict than those in urban areas. Only three percent said that the situation in the country was normal. The King and the Maoists shared equal blame (33 percent) for the political chaos in the country, according to the poll.

Around 60% opined that the Maoist rebellion was unnecessary in Nepal while 5 percent said it was necessary. Around 25 percent said the rebellion was ‘ok’. In its earlier survey carried out in the capital valley, it was revealed that some 21 percent of the respondents regarded the Maoists rebellion to be ‘ok’.

The king should take initiative to solve the current crisis, said 60 percent of the respondents. Some 23 percent favoured king-Maoists-parties dialogue while only 7.2 percent said talks between parties and rebels could find a solution to the problem. Only one percent supported a military solution.

The 12-point agreement also has not reached the ears of all Nepalis. Less than 45 percent said they had heard about the understanding; majority of them men from urban areas. 72 out of 100 applauded the understanding while 20 said it was ‘not good’.

Against the stand of seven-party alliance for reinstatement of the House of Representatives (HoR), only six percent accepted that this would give solution to the current crisis. 48 percent of the respondents said the crisis would be solved through the formation of interim government, 15 percent said it would be through election of HoR while only 10 percent agreed on the election to constituent assembly.

Summing up the outcome of the opinion poll, Himal khabarpatrika said popular opinion in the country is against the direct rule of the king rather than the monarchy itself. nepalnews.com ia Apr 02 06