Nepal's new parliament to cut King's power

Kathmandu, May 15 :The recently reinstated House of Representatives in Nepal is scheduled to meet today to make an important decision to cut the power of the King and bring the army under the control of Parliament.

The senior leaders of the seven-party alliance would meet this morning and finalise the historic declaration which would end the role of the King in Nepal's politics and His Majesty's government will be changed to Government of Nepal, speaker of the House Subhash Chandra Nemwang said.

''The declaration will limit the power of the King and bring the army under Parliament to ensure that the people will not have to fight over and over again for democracy in this country,'' Lilamani Pokhrel of United Peoples Front said.

The Lower House of Parliament would be the supreme body to exercise all powers of the state and there would be no any role of the King, the leaders of the seven parties had said while commenting about the declaration.

There was pressure on the newly formed government to come out with such declaration after the popular movement forced the King to return the executive powers to the elected representatives and reinstate Parliament.

Democracy was first restored in the Himalayan kingdom in 1950, ending the 104-year autocratic rule of the Ranas in Nepal through a popular revolution.

However, King Mahendra had dissolved the first popularly elected government and introduced partyless dictatorial system in 1961.

Again, a movement had brought back democracy to the country in 1990. However, King Gyanendra sacked the elected government and ruled the country as an absolute ruler since February 1 last year.

UNI