As the result of a decade-long civil war that ended in 2005, the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal changed from a monarchy to a multiparty representative democratic republic in 2008. In 2004, International IDEA and the State of Democracy in South Asia/Nepal Chapter carried out a survey on the state of democracy in Nepal. Three years later, they conducted a follow-up survey to gauge changing perceptions of democracy. The 2004 assessment, done at a time of armed conflict and civil war, set a precedent for research to be performed in conflict areas, which had previously been excluded.

In April 2006, Nepal’s major political parties formed an alliance and united with the Maoists in a mass movement and uprising against the monarchy. This led to a reinstated parliament, and the formation of a coalition government that initiated a peace process with the Maoists. The peace process continued to move forward, leading to a Comprehensive Peace Agreement bringing to an end to the war, placed the Nepal Army in barracks and Maoist combatants in cantonments and provided for their supervision by the United Nations.