captain, not only i plaudit your arguments,i it feels good to see my views in unison with yours. i don't deny that referendum is the most democratic approach one can ever go for. the only thing that bothered me to think in a rather undemocratic way is my skepticism over the result from refrendum. of course, what majority of nepalese want should be credited coz that is the most democratic approach. if the verdict goes against monarchy, i don't see much problem. if not, then the big question will be, will it be in favor of the greater benefit of nepal and nepalese in the long run, if monarchy prevails? i am very, very dubious. 1) maoists may welcome the verdict in favor of king, but how will they fit in themselves to the political framework with king? how will king accomodate himself with maoists? it will be ceremonial aliright, but monarchy will still be pretty much on a role in the politics of nepal. 2) the greedy and manipulative nature of king G and and his cronies will not let the political vehicle of nepal to run smoothly without much intervention. i read prachanda's interview somewhere where he explicitly mentioned that anything other than republic will not be to their satiation in the long run. hence i won't be surprised if another revolution for republic hits nepal in few years down the road, if monarchy prevail through referendum. let's see how things shape up in the next few days. congress are still up for ceremonial monarchy. cpn-uml want referendum while other parties have divided vision. some want CA to decide the fate of the king while others want to see monarchy getting ousted right away. it's quite a chaotic situation spa are into. ImI, i agree with you on the referendum being the most democratic way. however, i don't agree with you on the reasons you have stated for the necessity of monarchy in nepal. but again, its your way of thinking, which sadly does not resonate with mine :P LooTe