Nepal parliament reinstated after protests

Nepal’s embattled King Gyanendra tonight reinstated the lower house of parliament, which was dissolved in 2002, and offered his solace for those killed in weeks of pro-democracy protests.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to all those who have lost their lives in the people’s movement,” Gyanendra said in an address on state television and radio.

The reinstatement of parliament was a key demand of the seven-party alliance, which has been leading weeks of pro-democracy protests that have brought Nepal to the brink of chaos.

The parliament’s lower house holds real elected power in the country’s constitution. The upper house is largely symbolic.

The speech was clearly aimed at avoiding a bloody showdown between his security forces and the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators who have paralysed Nepal in nearly three weeks of protests.

It came one day before what was planned to be the largest protest yet.

“We are confident the nation will forge ahead toward sustainable peace, progress, full-fledged democracy and national unity,” the king said in the brief address.