The resignation of Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal spurred a protest rally by Maoist activists against Nepal’s president. The resignation follows a showdown between the prime minister and the president that had been brewing for weeks. It came to a head Sunday when the prime minister fired the head of the army for not allowing former Maoist militants to join the military, as per an earlier agreement.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal announces his resignation in a nationally televised message to the nation in Katmandu, Nepal. The move was seen as a blow to Nepal’s young democracy.
A Maoist supporter participates in a road march and public rally in Katmandu. The prime minister is a former Maoist guerrilla leader turned parliamentary politician.
Protests stoked fears that the broad peace deal in Nepal could be in jeopardy. The accord ended a decade-long civil war and brought Maoists out of the jungle and into the government.
Protesters gather despite a ban on protests in parts of Katmandu following the prime ministers announcement. Police in riot gear also were deployed across the city.
