Cheering Nepalese held rallies in several cities and towns yesterday to celebrate Parliament's vote to dramatically cut King Gyanendra's powers and turn him into a figurehead leader.
Communist rebels who control much of the countryside also welcomed the resolution -- passed unanimously by Parliament on Thursday -- but said the king's ceremonial role should also be eliminated.
The sweeping resolution called for King Gyanendra to be stripped of his command over the army, his legal immunity, and freedom from paying taxes. It also said the king should lose his official position as head of the Himalayan nation, changing traditional references to "His Majesty's government" to simply the "Nepal government."
To be enacted, the resolution still must be voted on as a series of laws, officials said. That was expected in the next few days.
The measure's passage "has begun the process," Deputy Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli said Thursday.
"The government will work with Parliament to execute the resolution and laws will be drafted to implement the resolution," he said.
Thousands participated in celebratory rallies yesterday in several towns and cities, while top political leaders were to address a major rally in the capital, Kathmandu, later in the day.
The government declared the day a public holiday to celebrate the passage of the resolution. All government offices and schools were closed for the day, the Home Ministry said in a notice.
The seven parties in the ruling alliance called the resolution a historic achievement that had eliminated all of the king's powers.
"This ends the remains of the royal regime and establishes the king as only a figurehead," said Narayanman Bijuchche of the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party.
Rebel leader Prachanda said he welcomed the resolution, but said it failed to address all needs of the people.
"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," the rebel leader, whose real name is Pushpa Kamal Dahal, said in a statement.
He said a continuing ceremonial role for the king "is against the aspiration of the people to abolish the monarchy and establish a republic."
The rebels want to completely abolish the monarchy, but have said they will leave the decision to a special assembly which is to write a new constitution.
The parliamentary vote was the most significant move since the new government assumed power last month after weeks of street protests forced Gyanendra to give up direct control of the government, reinstate Parliament and return political authority to elected officials.
Earlier this week, a delay in voting on the proclamation sparked angry protests in Kathmandu. Government vehicles were set ablaze and traffic was blocked.
The resolution calls for the king to be stripped of his command over the 90,000-strong Royal Nepalese army, which would be renamed the Nepal Army.
The king would also lose his right to make final decisions on major issues, and his immunity from prosecution and taxes. It also would give Parliament the power to set the income of the royal family. The resolution also calls for Nepal -- officially a Hindu nation -- to become a secular state. About 85 percent of Nepal's 27 million people are Hindu.
In Washington, Richard Boucher, US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, encouraged the rebels to honor a cease-fire and join the political mainstream, but said the US remained wary of the group's intentions.
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