Your weekly internet poll of 14-20 April (#294) asked: 'Who do you blame for the state of the country'? The number of votes registered was the highest ever in any of your polls, 14,448, and the results were 40.9% the King, 19,9% the Maoists and 32,3% the parties. So a sizeable number of the voters, the majority actually, (51.9%) only a week ago were not ready to blame the king for the all the evils of the country like the people in the street were doing. These days we have seen massive demonstrations including a large chunk of civil society which has successfully brought an end to the absolute rule of the king, so now the big question is whether or not the political parties can live up to the people's expectations, reign in the Maoists and thereby end 10 years of violence, and act in a statesman-like manner to bring a true and meaningful democracy and development to the Nepali people. From their past record, there is reason to be sceptical. We need reconciliation and change and the political parties should recognise the decisive contribution made by civil society to the movement, and perhaps offer the post of prime minister to one of its outstanding figures, like for instance, Prof Krishna Khanal ('A leading professor', #294).

S K Aryal,
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