AP News, December 28th, 2007
Nepal's parliament voted Friday in favor of abolishing the centuries-old monarchy and turning this Himalayan nation into a republic.
The decision to remove the king, however, would be implemented only after elections to a special assembly expected to be held by mid-April next year.
The vote endorsed an agreement by the main political parties on abolishing monarchy reached earlier this week. More than two-thirds of the members voted in favor of amending the interim constitution, said Speaker Subash Nembwang.
The parliament proposal says that Nepal would be turned into a federal democratic republic and that all the powers of the state would be held by the prime minister.
"Today's vote has made sure the king will be removed immediately after elections." Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula said after the voting. "The king will have absolutely no power left until the elections."
The main political parties, including the former rebels widely known as Maoists, had signed an agreement this week on abolishing monarchy after the elections.
It initially was agreed last year that the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly would decide the fate of the king. Now there will be no voting and it is certain the king will be removed.
The Maoists had given up their armed revolt last year to join the peace process in April 2006 after weeks of pro-democracy protests forced King Gyanendra to give up his authoritarian rule. The Maoists joined Parliament last January and government three months later.
They withdrew from the government in September demanding immediate removal of the king. Since then, Nepal has been facing a political crisis and elections planned for November also were postponed.
