Nepal's parliamentary debate on monarchy postponed

By PTI
Sunday October 14, 05:27 PM
Kathmandu, Oct 14 (PTI) Nepal's crucial parliamentary debate to decide the future of the 238-year old monarchy was today postponed till Tuesday to allow the coalition government and the Maoists to hammer out an agreement over the issue.

During the brief House proceedings today, Speaker Subhas Nembang announced that the next session to deliberate on the Maoist proposal will be held on Tuesday.

Earlier, a meeting of the parliamentary affairs consultation committee this morning unanimously agreed to extend the deadline for registering amendment proposal to the Maoists motion to abolish the monarchy and establish a proportional electoral system.

Speaker Nemwang said the delay was granted following a request by the six ruling political parties and the former Maoist rebels so that a consensus could be reached.

"We are hoping to reach a political understanding to defuse the stalemate," Iswar Pokhrel of the Communist Party of Nepal United Marxist-Leninist was quoted as saying in the media. "In these two days we will continue talks and try break the deadlock," he added.

Nepal's parliament began debate on October 11 on abolishing the country's centuries-old monarchy to meet the Maoists' demands.

The Maoists walked out of the government on September 18 demanding that Nepal be declared a republic immediately, plunging the Himalayan nation into a political crisis.

The political stalemate forced the government to postpone the November constituent assembly election aimed at forming a body to frame a constitution and decide the fate of the monarchy.

The fiercely republican Maoists ended their decade-long armed struggle last year in which at least 13,000 people died. They joined parliament in January and the interim government in April.