Nepal leader who helped end king's rule dies at 86

[March 20, 2010]  KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) -- Nepal's former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who served five terms and led mass protests that ended the king's authoritarian rule in the Himalayan nation, died Saturday. He was 86.

Close aide and parliament member Bal Krishna Khad confirmed the death to reporters and thousands of supporters who had gathered outside Koirala's daughter's house in Katmandu. Koirala had been taken there earlier in the week after several days in the hospital.

He had heart problems, hypertension and asthma and had been hospitalized several times in the past few months.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a condolence message that he had benefited from Koirala's wise counsel on bilateral ties but also matters affecting all of South Asia.

"Koirala spent his entire political life championing the cause of the people ..." Singh said. "Koirala was a mass leader and a statesman, whose knowledge and wisdom guided the polity of Nepal in the right direction at critical junctures in the country's history."

Koirala was president of the Nepali Congress party and led the mass street demonstrations in 2006 that forced then King Gyanendra to give up his authoritarian rule, reinstate parliament and appoint Koirala as caretaker prime minister. Soon after that Koirala's government stripped Gyanendra of all his powers and command of the army.

Gyanendra was dethroned and the centuries-old monarchy abolished in May 2008. Soon after that Koirala stepped down as prime minister to allow a new coalition government led by former communist rebels to take power.

He was also a key figure in the peace process that ended 10 years of communist insurgency with the Maoist rebels giving up their armed revolt and joining mainstream politics.

Koirala spent seven years in prison in the 1960s for fighting for democratic rule. After democracy was introduced in 1990, he became one of the most powerful forces in the country's tumultuous political scene.

In 1991, Koirala became prime minister of the first democratically elected government after a popular revolt ended absolute rule by the king.

Koirala was known as an autocrat on party loyalty who often quashed internal dissent with an iron fist.

His fourth term ended in 2001 with his government beset by the Maoist insurgency, a bribery scandal and recriminations over a palace massacre that wiped out much of the royal family.

His government wasn't implicated in the killings - in which the king, queen and seven other royal family members died, apparently at the hands of the crown prince, who killed himself - but the massacre shocked and dismayed Nepal, and blame for security lapses fell on Koirala.

[Associated Press; By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA]

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