Kathmandu: Nepal is observing the 19th Democracy Day (Loktantra Diwas) today, commemorating the historic victory of the people’s movement in 2006 that ended the autocratic rule of the monarchy and reinstated the dissolved parliament.

The day is being marked across the country with various programmes, including tributes to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for democratic change. Leaders from different political parties have extended best wishes on the occasion and emphasized the need for unity among all democratic forces to ensure the country's prosperity.

Democracy Day is celebrated every year on April 24 in remembrance of the day in 2006 when King Gyanendra Shah announced the reinstatement of the House of Representatives, which had been dissolved on May 22, 2002. The proclamation from the then monarch acknowledged the people's mandate and stated: "The House of Representatives has been reinstated in accordance with the public sentiment expressed through the present people's movement, keeping in mind the fact that the source of state power rests on the Nepali people."

Following this, a meeting of the reinstated parliament was convened on April 28, 2006, leading to a transitional phase that saw the participation of the seven-party alliance and the then-rebel Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).

This movement ultimately paved the way for the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, promulgated on September 20, 2015, following two historic Constituent Assembly elections. The country has since adopted a federal democratic system, conducting two rounds of elections at the federal, provincial, and local levels.

Political leaders marking the day have reiterated that democracy is the best system of governance, and all political energies should be channelled towards national development and prosperity.

Democracy Day has been officially celebrated since 2008, honoring the spirit of the April Uprising of 2006, which is considered a turning point in Nepal’s political history.