Nepal, rebels agree on constitution
By Kamesh Thaman,WNS Nepal Correspondent
KATHMANDU - Nepalese political parties and communist rebels on Saturday agreed upon an interim constitution under which the king is no longer the nation's head of state. The king will remain without powers until the elected assembly decides if the Himalayan kingdom should continue to have a king or get rid of the monarchy, The Associated Press reported."The king has not been vested with any administrative or state powers in the new constitution and whatever he was doing as the head of state will now be done by the prime minister," said Bharat Mohan Adhikari, a leader of the governing coalition involved in the negotiations. Nepal's seven-party governing alliance and the Maoist rebels have been in talks for the last week to finalize the constitution, following a peace agreement last month that ended the decade-long fighting in the Himalayan country.
The interim constitution paves the way for elections for a constituent assembly next year. The assembly will decide the future of the monarchy and prepare a permanent constitution for the country."According to the new constitution, all political parties must reserve one-third of its electoral candidates seats in the constituent assembly elections for women," Adhikari said. The new constitution also makes basic health care, education, employment and food security a fundamental right for all Nepalese. The constitution will not be implemented until the United Nations begins monitoring the Maoists to ensure the rebels' arms are locked up and their troops in camp. The earliest that could happen is January, after a technical U.N. mission already in the country presents a report on the needs of the monitoring mission to the U.N. Secretary-General.
"Once the monitoring of arms is complete, the Maoists will join the government," said Minendra Rijal, a leader of the governing coalition. Nepal's Maoist rebels have fought the state since 1996, aiming to abolish the monarchy. About 13,000 people were killed. The government and rebels last month signed a peace accord under which thousands of rebel fighters will be confined to U.N.-monitored camps without access to their weapons.
posted by wnsworld @ 4:07 PM
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