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Nepal
curtails Gyanendra`s powers
Kathmandu:
Nepal`s Parliament on Thursday unanimously approved a
plan to curtail the powers of King Gyanendra and take away
his control over the army. The announcement, which was approved
by a verbal vote, came less than a month after often violent
mass protests across the Himalayan kingdom pressured King
Gyanendra to reinstate parliament and hand power back to a
multi-party government. It took less than two hours for the
205-member-strong Parliament to vote on the issue after it
was presented by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.
The 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. "It reflects the
aspirations of the people and respects the sacrifices of the
people who were martyred during the movement," Koirala said
as he tabled the resolution, referring to weeks of mass protests
against King Gyanendra. "Now no one can dare underestimate
this. I urge people to remain alert and rise against anyone
who tries to interfere in this and undermine this," Koirala
said, speaking in Nepali. The proclamation also taxes the
King and allows his actions to be challenged in the court.
The principal advisory body of the King, the Raj Parishad
or privy council, is scrapped, the Royal Nepalese Army renamed
Nepali Army, and the Army Chief would be appointed by the
cabinet. Besides, parliament will have the power to make laws
on the heir to the throne, decide on the perks and expenses
of the King and be responsible for his security while his
secretariat is placed under the national civil service.
Analysts
have expressed doubts over the effectiveness of the proclamation,
as under the current Constitution no parliamentary bill can
become law until the head of state -- the King -- signs it.
But politicians say the proclamation overrides the constitution
and reflects the will of the people and therefore cannot be
challenged. They also say the King would have no powers and
the proclamation would not need his approval. "If anyone tries
to dishonour this, they will be digging their own grave,"
former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba told parliament.
While parliament debated the resolution, hundreds of demonstrators
gathered outside its gates holding placards and shouting slogans
supporting democracy. King Gyanendra plunged Nepal into political
turmoil when he sacked the government and assumed power last
year, saying the government had failed to quell an anti-monarchy
Maoist revolt that has killed more than 13,000 people. The
new government has reciprocated a rebel truce, and the Maoists
have agreed to talks ahead of elections to a new assembly
to draft a constitution and decide the future of the monarchy.