List of heads of state of Nepal

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The following is a list of the heads of state of Nepal, from the unification of the country and the founding of the Kingdom of Nepal in 1768, to the establishment of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal in 2008.

Contents

The King of Nepal was the country's head of state from the unification and the establishment of the kingdom in 1768 to 2008. Since 2008, the head of state has been the President of Nepal after the abolition of monarchy and the establishment of a republic.

Kingdom of Nepal (1768–2008)

Nepal was ruled by monarchs of the Shah dynasty from 1768 till the abolition of monarchy in 2008. However, from 1846 until the 1951 revolution, the country was de facto ruled by the hereditary prime ministers of the Rana dynasty, reducing the role of the Shah monarch to that of a figurehead. [1] The monarchy was abolished on 28 May 2008 by the 1st Constituent Assembly. [2] [3]

No.PortraitKing
(Birth–Death)
ReignHouseClaim
Reign startReign endDuration
1 Prithvi Narayan Shah.jpg Prithvi Narayan Shah
पृथ्वी नारायण शाह
(1723–1775)
25 September 176811 January 17756 years, 108 days Shah King of the Gorkha Kingdom since 1743
2 Pratap Singh Shah.jpg Pratap Singh Shah
प्रताप सिंह शाह
(1751–1777)
11 January 177517 November 17772 years, 310 days Shah Son of Prithvi Narayan Shah
3 Rana Bahadur Shah.jpg Rana Bahadur Shah
रण बहादुर शाह
(1775–1806)
17 November 17778 March 1799
(abdicated)
21 years, 111 days Shah Son of Pratap Singh Shah
4 King Girvan Yuddhavikram Shah (1797-1816) (restoration) (cropped).jpg Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah
गीर्वाणयुद्ध विक्रम शाह
(1797–1816)
8 March 179920 November 181617 years, 257 days Shah Son of Rana Bahadur Shah
5 King Rajendra Bikram Shah Deva.jpg Rajendra Bikram Shah
राजेन्द्र विक्रम शाह
(1813–1881)
20 November 181612 May 1847
(abdicated)
30 years, 173 days Shah Son of Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah
6 King Surendra Bikram Shah 1 (cropped).jpg Surendra Bikram Shah
सुरेन्द्र विक्रम शाह
(1829–1881)
12 May 184717 May 188134 years, 5 days Shah Son of Rajendra Bikram Shah
7 Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah standing (cropped).png Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah
पृथ्वी वीर विक्रम शाह
(1875–1911)
17 May 188111 December 191130 years, 208 days Shah Grandson of Surendra Bikram Shah
8 King Tribhuvan (cropped).png Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah
त्रिभुवन वीर विक्रम शाह
(1906–1955)
11 December 19117 November 1950
( went into exile )
38 years, 331 days Shah Son of Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah
9 2018.1.105(51-52) V (31945575448) (cropped).jpg Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah
ज्ञानेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह
(born 1947)
7 November 19507 January 1951
( stepped down )
61 days Shah Grandson of Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah
(8) Tribhuvan 1937 (cropped).jpg Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah
त्रिभुवन वीर विक्रम शाह
(1906–1955)
7 January 195113 March 19554 years, 65 days Shah Son of Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah
10 Mahendra Ratna 1957 (cropped).jpg Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah
महेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह
(1920–1972)
14 March 195531 January 197216 years, 323 days Shah Son of Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah
11 Birendra Bir Bikram Shah c. 1967 (restoration).jpg Birendra Bir Bikram Shah
वीरेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह
(1945–2001)
31 January 19721 June 2001
( assassinated )
29 years, 121 days Shah Son of Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah
12 Crown Prince Dependra Bikram Shah Dev.jpg Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah
दीपेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह
(1971–2001)
1 June 20014 June 2001
( declared braindead )
3 days [a] Shah Son of Birendra Bir Bikram Shah
(9) Gyanendra 01.jpg Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah
ज्ञानेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह
(born 1947)
4 June 2001 [b] 28 May 2008
(deposed)
6 years, 359 days Shah Son of Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah

Transitional period (State of Nepal, 2007–2008)

Under the interim constitution adopted in January 2007, all powers of governance were removed from the king, and the Constituent Assembly elected in 2008 was to decide in its first meeting whether to continue the monarchy or to declare a republic. During the suspension of the monarchy, Girija Prasad Koirala, then Prime Minister of Nepal, acted as the Head of State. On 28 May 2008, the Assembly voted to abolish the monarchy. Ram Baran Yadav was elected by the Constituent Assembly, and was sworn in as the nation's first president on 23 July 2008.

Status:  Denotes Acting Head of State

No.PortraitNameTook officeLeft officeTime in officeParty
The Prime Minister of Nepal, Shri Girija Prasad Koirala being seen off by the Union Minister of Water Resources, Prof. Saif-ud-din Soz at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on April 06, 2007 (cropped).jpg
Girija Prasad Koirala
(गिरिजाप्रसाद कोइराला)
(1925–2010)
Acting
15 January 200723 July 20081 year, 190 days [c] Congress

Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal (2008–present)

No.PortraitPresidentTook officeLeft officeTime in officePartyElection
1
Ram Baran Yadav, portrait (August 2014).jpg
Yadav, Ram Baran Ram Baran Yadav
(रामवरण यादव)
(born 1948)
23 July 200829 October 20157 years, 98 days Congress 2008
2
Shinzo Abe and Bidhya Devi Bhandari at the Enthronement of Naruhito (1) cropped.jpg
Bhandari, Bidya Devi Bidya Devi Bhandari
(विद्यादेवी भण्डारी)
(born 1961)
29 October 201513 March 20237 years, 135 days CPN (UML) 2015
2018
3
President Ram Chandra Poudel, Official portrait (January 2024).jpg
Poudel, Ram Chandra Ram Chandra Poudel
(राम चन्द्र पौडेल)
(born 1944)
13 March 2023Incumbent2 years, 74 days Congress 2023

Timeline

Ram Chandra PoudelBidhya Devi BhandariRam Baran YadavGirija Prasad KoiralaDipendra Bir Bikram ShahBirendra Bir Bikram ShahMahendra Bir Bikram ShahGyanendra Bir Bikram ShahTribhuvan Bir Bikram ShahPrithvi Bir Bikram ShahSurendra Bikram ShahRajendra Bikram ShahGirvan Yuddha Bikram ShahRana Bahadur ShahPratap Singh ShahPrithvi Narayan ShahList of heads of state of Nepal

See also

Notes

  1. Reigned whilst in a coma, following the royal massacre.
  2. Served as regent for Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah, from 1–4 June 2001.
  3. Simultaneously served as Prime Minister, from 25 April 2006 – 18 August 2008.

References

  1. J. Demy, Timothy; M. Shaw, Jeffrey (19 September 2019). Religion and Contemporary Politics: A Global Encyclopedia [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 328. ISBN   978-1-4408-3933-7. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  2. "Deposed Nepal king surrenders crown". The Guardian. 11 June 2008. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  3. "Nepalese celebrate opening of new era and end of monarchy (Published 2008)". The New York Times. 28 May 2008. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.