19th Loktantra Diwas Celebrated Nationwide with Tributes to Martyrs

The 19th Loktantra Diwas is being observed across Nepal today with various programs, including tributes to martyrs who sacrificed their lives for democratic and pro-democracy movements.

The day commemorates April 24, 2006 (Baisakh 11, 2063), when former King Gyanendra Shah reinstated the parliament dissolved on May 22, 2002, and stepped down as the country's executive head, marking the defeat of autocratic rule. In his proclamation, Shah stated, “The source of state authority is the Nepali people, and Nepal’s sovereignty and state power are vested in them. In line with the sentiments expressed through the ongoing people’s movement, the House of Representatives has been reinstated.”

The announcement, driven by the people’s movement involving seven political parties and the then-rebel Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), led to the convening of the House of Representatives on April 28, 2006.

Following the movement, Nepal’s democratic achievements included two Constituent Assembly elections, which resulted in the promulgation of the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal on September 20, 2015. The constitution ushered Nepal into federalism, with elections held twice for federal, provincial, and local levels, and the country is now practicing federal governance.

Since 2008, Loktantra Diwas has been celebrated annually on Baisakh 11 to mark the end of the king’s direct and autocratic rule, achieved through the 2005/06 people’s movement.