4 The second amendment and the 1980 referendum

By the early 1970s the system faced armed opposition — most seriously the Jhapa rising of 1971 — and student and labour protest. The second amendment of 1975 made the panchayat structure and the king's role more explicit, and tightened the rules on political activity. When pressure did not subside the palace called a national referendum in 1980, offering a choice between the panchayat system with reforms and a multiparty system. The panchayat option won on a narrow margin, the system was continued with cosmetic changes, and the underlying question was merely postponed.