At first, it seemed King Gyanendra thought he could do away with the political crisis by just announcing that he would ask the alliance of seven political parties to form a government of national unity, but without addressing the monarchy's future role in politics. As it turned out, the street protesters were not satisfied and they insisted that national sovereignty be unequivocally returned to the people and the parliament.

On Friday, the party leaders will meet with the king, and parliament will convene to decide what to do next. Already the opposition alliance has named a former prime minister to lead the new government.

In the past few months, quite a few strange things have been happening in Nepalese politics. The opposition alliance has held discussions with the Maoists - who have been conducting a long-running, bloody rebellion - to pressure the king to exit politics and return the country to a parliamentary system under a constitutional monarchy. Now that the king has done just that, the issue at hand is how the Maoist Party is going to fit into the political scheme of things. After all, this crisis spun out of fear of the Maoist revolution and its ideology.

Last February, the king seized absolute power and terminated the fledgling democracy in Nepal. Apparently he thought he could do better, uniting the country and fighting the war against the Maoists. He was completely wrong because he overstepped his role as constitutional monarch. Instead, he behaved like an unsophisticated politician, subjecting himself to mockery in the international arena and fierce opposition inside the nation. Of course the Nepalese people love their monarch, but he must be one that supports, not undermines, democracy.

Common sense shows that the monarchy still has an important role to serve in Nepal, as it has for so long in this independent kingdom. However, what King Gyanendra has done in the past four years since assuming the throne has seriously damaged the monarchy as a national institution. Even before seizing absolute power 14 months ago, he conducted a campaign to intimidate journalists and media outlets which criticised him, imposing censorship measures that attacked the country's core values and freedom of expression.

The free press must be respected - only through an open forum can a genuine national dialogue and reconciliation start. In the past years, more and more people have chosen the republican path due to the king's own misguided actions. If the monarchy is so greedy for power, many concluded, then the people must get rid of it.

Nepal enjoyed a democratic political atmosphere after the end of the absolute monarchy in 1990 following a popular uprising by Nepalese people demanding democracy. The king must adapt his role in a constitutional monarchy or, as recent events have shown, risk throwing the nation into chaos.

First and foremost, the Nepalese people deserve a stable environment in which they can live their lives in peace and prosperity. Although the Maoists have rejected recent peace-making overtures, all parties concerned must find a way to draw them into a cease-fire and include them in mainstream politics. Too many people have died in this senseless conflict. After all, it is the poor who have suffered the most.

Meanwhile, the international community must help Nepal to recover from this crisis. Already India, which has strategic interests in seeing a democratic Nepal prosper, has played an important role brokering an end to the crisis. Other countries must also join hands and provide aid in such difficult times.