Nepal's impasse to peace
Political instability has been the defining feature of the Nepali state during the last two decades. Nepal has had 20 governments since the introduction of democracy in 1990. The country is still emerging from the conflict with some aftershocks. In the past five years, Nepalis have witnessed the signing of a peace agreement between the former Maoist rebels and the state, a new Interim Constitution, the election of a Constituent Assembly (CA), the abolition of monarchy and declaration of a federal republic, five governments, and the rise of strong ethnic identity movements. The political compact around the new constitution that endorses the devolution of power, social and political inclusion, democratic elections, and political accountability represents an opportunity in this transition. The new constitution is supposed to lead to a major restructuring of the state as Nepal will adopt federalism as a fundamental principle of governance. Elections both at national and local levels are planned after the constitution is promulgated. The conflict and the prolonged transition to peace and stability have contributed to a progressive erosion of the effectiveness of some state institutions. For instance, poor law and order is a growing concern, particularly in certain geographic areas. Also, the conflict raised awareness that the Nepali state had been associated with exclusionary political, social, and economic institutions that did not reflect the country’s diversity. This has led to the rise of identity politics with an increasing demand for state recognition and greater accommodation of diverse social, cultural, and ethnic identities. A peace process triggered by mass protests in April 2006 against the autocratic rule of Nepal's king Gyanendra brought Maoists into the political mainstream, paving the way for the extraordinary of a country ruled for two centuries by Hindu kings into a secular republic. Royal Nepalese Army and Maoists' guerrillas - the decade long civil war bitter foes- returned to their barracks and camps with stated intention of reforming into one national force. Over 19,600 PLA fighters live uncertain life in cantonments since 2006 hoping for eventual state recognition by being included in the state army. The merger of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) fighters with Nepal Army was a key condition of the peace pact signed by Maoists in 2006 but thus far the process of merger has reached an impasse. A decade long civil war has claimed lives of 15,000 people while 150,000 people have been displaced. Talks between Nepali political parties for integration of Maoist rebels into Nepal army have been bitter, hard fought and one of the main sticking points in the peace process. The parties are now entangled in key issues of the constitution drafting such as the form of governance, restructuring of the state, electoral system and the power of judiciary along with the integration of the former rebel groups People's Liberation Army (PLA) into the Nepal Army. Constituent assembly did not manage to honor the deadline to draft the constitution set by the Supreme Court of Nepal for 27 May 2012, pushing Nepal's political scene into more uncertain future.