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Nepal
celebrates takeover from King
Kathmandu:
Nepalese took to the streets of Kathmandu and other places
in the kingdom to celebrate Parliament's decision on Thursday
to drastically curb King Gyanendra's absolute powers. Nepal's
parliament voted unanimously in favour of a landmark plan
to strip the King of control of the army. The proclamation
effectively makes the king a ceremonial figure. The move followed
mass street protests in April which led the king to recall
parliament and end direct palace rule. The country's interim
government, which took office after the king restored parliament,
has declared Friday a public holiday to celebrate the proclamation.
More people are expected to take part in "victory rallies"
which are being organised by the political parties on Friday.
Cutting the powers of the king, who seized direct powers in
2005, was a key demand of the pro-democracy protesters who
took to the streets across Nepal. Maoist rebels, who have
fought for a republic for 10 years, gave the proclamation
a cautious welcome but said it did not go far enough. "We
want to make it clear that this declaration has not been able
to fully address the needs and aspirations of Nepal and the
Nepali people," rebel leader Prachanda said in a statement.
The
Maoists want to get rid of the monarchy but most of the governing
coalition are non-committal on the issue. Peace talks between
the government and the rebels have been announced, but no
date or venue has been set. The interim government's proclamation
overrides the 1990 Constitution, which handed most power to
parliament but kept the monarchy involved in politics. The
far-reaching measures were unveiled in parliament by the new
Prime Minister, GP Koirala. The plans include bringing 90,000
troops under the direct control of the parliament, taxing
the royal family and its assets, scrapping the royal advisory
council, the Raj Parishad, removing royal references from
the titles of the army and government and declaring Nepal
a secular country, after years as the world's only Hindu kingdom.
The proclamation says it will annul those articles of the
current constitution which contradict it, although observers
say this is likely to come under challenge in the courts at
some point.
Left hails move to curb
King's powers
Kathmandu/New
Delhi: The Left parties in India today welcomed Nepal
Parliament's approval of a sweeping plan to curtail the powers
of the king and take away his control over the army. While
addressing a news conference in here today, Communist Party
of India (Marxist) Politburo member, Sitaram Yechuri, said
that Thursday's move was reflective of the popular mandate
in Nepal. "Whatever decisions were taken in Nepal, we welcome
it as they are related to the feelings of the people of Nepal.
They were not part of any efforts to please anyone but were
reflective of a popular mandate that vowed for a democratic
Nepal..." Yechury said. Yechury was among the political leaders
from India involved in arriving at an agreement between the
seven-parties coalition and the Maoists after the King reinstated
the Parliament. "A kingdom in today's modern world is an anachronism.
Today, the world is moving to republican democracy and I think
(for) all people of all countries it is a genuine aspiration
and the force in the content of democracy has been recognised
by everybody including the Maoists. The Maoists are on record
to say that the revolution in the 21st century will be not
be a replica of the revolution of the 20th century," Yechury
added. The news was greeted with victory rallies across Nepal.
In the capital, Kathmandu, residents lit candles outside their
houses in celebration.
Thursday's
proclamation takes away the title of supreme commander-in-chief
of the military from the king, traditionally revered as an
incarnation of Hindu God Vishnu until the present monarch
fell foul of his people after he grabbed power in 2005. The
government will no longer be called "His Majesty's Government"
but just Nepal government. The country would also stop being
a Hindu nation and become a secular state. Meanwhile, Nepal's
Maoist rebels backed the sweeping cuts of the king's powers
but said the changes should not overshadow planned talks to
end their decade-old insurgency that aims to overthrow the
monarchy. The elusive rebel chief Prachanda said in a statement
that his party welcomes and supports the move. The proclamation
seemed to have interpreted last month's mass protests against
the king and demands for a republic to mean that the monarch
should remain a ceremonial head, Prachanda said. He said the
move was silent about "peace talks as a solution to the problem
of a decade-old civil war and this has given rise to serious
suspicion".
The
proclamation also declared the royal family had to pay taxes,
scrapped the royal advisory council and declared Nepal was
no longer a Hindu kingdom but a secular country. It also said
that the king's actions could be challenged in court and took
over the power to make laws on the heir to the throne. The
landmark decision came less than a month after often-violent
mass protests across the impoverished Himalayan nation forced
King Gyanendra to reinstate Parliament and hand power back
to a multi-party government. The resolution was approved by
a verbal vote on Thursday by deputies in the 205-member assembly
less than two hours after it was presented by Prime Minister
Girija Prasad Koirala. Some analysts, however, have expressed
doubts over the effectiveness of the proclamation, and said
it could be challenged in court. But the multi-party government
asserts that the document overrides the 1990 constitution
and has the force of law. Nepal's media widely welcomed it
and the government declared Friday a public holiday to mark
the event.