Nepal lawmakers approve abolition of monarchy

KATHMANDU: Nepal lawmakers formally approved on Friday an agreement to abolish the centuries-old monarchy and declare the country a republic.

But King Gyanendra will remain on the throne for the time being as the deal between the Maoists and the government last weekend to make Nepal a republic can only be put into effect at the first meeting of a new constituent assembly.

Polls for that assembly are due to be held by mid-April. "This is another historic moment for the country," said senior Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara.

"Now we'll focus on holding free elections and work with other parties to institutionalise the republican set-up."

The Maoists waged a deadly decade-long revolt to topple the monarchy that ended late last year with a landmark peace pact with mainstream political parties.

In Friday's vote, out of 321 parliamentarians, 270 voted for the abolition of the monarchy and three voted against. The rest were absent or abstained.

The constitutional amendment was tabled after the government and Maoists concluded the 23-point deal ending a long-running deadlock in the peace process.

"The government has given a clear roadmap to bid farewell to the institution of the monarchy," Kundan Aryal, editor of the Himal news magazine, told AFP. "They have asked the king to give up the throne voluntarily and by peaceful means."

There was no comment from the palace. Nepal's 61-year-old monarch has already been stripped of most of his powers, including his roles as head of state and army chief, since mass protests forced an end to a 14-month period of his authoritarian rule in April 2006.

The amendment gives lawmakers the power to make Nepal a republic ahead of the polls if the king attempts to disrupt the elections. Gyanendra was vaulted to the throne by the killing of his popular brother, King Birendra, shot dead in 2001 with other royals in a drunken rampage by the then-crown prince who later turned the gun on himself.

The king, traditionally revered as the incarnation of the Hindu god of protection, Lord Vishnu, was never able to attain the popularity of his more genial, well-loved brother, viewed as a national symbol of unity.

The Maoists, who stormed out of the interim government in September demanding greater power-sharing, agreed to rejoin the government after striking the weekend agreement. The former rebels had made abolition of the 239-year-old monarchy one of their key demands.

After months of wrangling, the ultra-leftists abandoned calls for full proportional representation, which analysts said the rebels hoped would deliver them more seats. The Maoists have been fearful of losing their political clout in elections as opinion surveys suggest they do not enjoy large voter popularity.

In the planned new 601-seat assembly, 335 will be elected by proportional representation and 240 using the first-past-the-post system. The parties will nominate a total of 26 members.

The former rebels came out of the jungle and joined with the mainstream political parties after weeks of massive pro-democracy protests forced King Gyanendra to end his 14 months of direct rule in April 2006.

The Maoist insurgency claimed claimed more than 13,000 lives.