coalition of seven political factions and the Nepali Congress lead a process of reintroduction of democracy in Nepal. In April 1990, students, human rights organisations and professional unions staged protests which led to the closure of universities and schools. The protests culminated in the first Jana Andolan, or People's Movement which pressured the King to reinstate multi-party democracy in the framework of a constitutional democracy. Its constitution declared Nepal as a Hindu state with Khasa-Nepali as the official language despite Nepal's poly-religious and linguistic population. The restoration of democracy in Nepal solidified a shift to neoliberal government policies that promoted economic liberalisation such as the removal of price controls, privatisation and introduction of convertibility for the domestic currency. Nepalese civil war The Nepalese civil war, or People’s War, was the result of stalled peace negotiations between the democratic government and the paramilitary wing of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). It resulted in a build-up of around 30,000 insurgency fighters and caused approximately 13,000 casualties with thousands unaccounted for. Nepal's first decade of democracy is considered turbulent due to frequent government changes, internal party battles and corruption. Politics continued to be dominated by the Brahmin and Chhetri castes with an underrepresentation of ethnic minorities and women. After the transition to the constitutional monarchy in 1991 Nepal remained one of the least developed countries, situated at 113 out of 130 countries in Human Development Index. General elections in 1999 produced a victory for the Nepali Congress, ushering in 4 years of political stability. The dissolution of the House of Representatives for the 1994 mid-term election led to a hung parliament producing 8 unstable coalition governments within 5 years. Following a split in the United People's Front into the recognised and unrecognised wing, led by Puspa Kamal Dahal, elections were boycotted, and armed rebellion was instigated. The government was presented with demands to institutionalise Nepal as a federal republic, therefore abolishing monarchy, formation of an interim government and the establishment of a constituent assembly. On the 13 February 1996 the People’s War was declared in response to the perceived government failure to honour the insurgent's demands. On 1 June 2001 the royal family was murdered, triggering the crowning of Gyanendra as king. On 25 November 2001 a truce between the Maoist insurgents and the government broke following an increase in violent attacks against the police and army. This triggered the declaration of