Nepal declared a national holiday yesterday to celebrate the historic entry of former Maoist guerrillas into the political mainstream after a decade of bloody civil war.
The Maoists formally joined a new parliament late on Monday after a new temporary constitution was approved that also strips the king of his status as head of state, including control of the army.
The king also lost a "major chunk" of royal assets after parliament's unanimous vote in favor of the constitution, the Kathmandu Post reported.
"Today the people have turned the tables on the monarchy: By proclaiming a constitution invoking their sovereign rights, the people have made the reigning monarch both poor and powerless overnight," the English-language daily said.
Eighty-three Maoist members of parliament were sworn in late on Monday to the 330-seat house nearly nine months after the Maoists and the government struck a ceasefire deal.
At least 12,500 people have been killed since the rebels launched their "people's war" in 1996 to install a communist republic, a conflict that also laid waste to the impoverished Himalayan nation's already fragile economy.
Nepal's previous parliament was dissolved late on Monday, a body that King Gyanendra restored after weeks of bloody mass protests forced him to abandon direct rule in April last year.
"Today is a day of reconciliation among all the political parties and the people," Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said in parliament.
The former rebels were equally upbeat about being given a quarter of the seats.
"This is a historic chance for us and other political parties to establish progress in Nepal," said Maoist spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara, leader of the newly sworn in MPs.
Maoist chief Prachanda and his second-in-command were present on Monday night in parliament to see their comrades sworn in, but neither leader is planning to take a position in the new legislature.
In return for the seats, the former rebels have agreed to place their weapons and army under UN supervision. The Maoists were expected to begin registering weapons with UN monitors later this week.
Meanwhile, thousands of civil servants have fanned out across Nepal to issue citizenship papers to millions of Nepalis to allow them to vote in elections due to be held before June, a minister told reporters.
"580 mobile teams of between seven to 10 people have been dispatched to certify and distribute citizenship identification," said Hridayesh Tripathi, minister for industry, commerce and supplies.
The interim constitution, which was approved on Monday, sets out a plan to hold elections to a constituent assembly that will rewrite Nepal's constitution permanently, and decide the fate of the monarchy, a key Maoist demand.
"According to government records there are over 3 million Nepalis who do not have citizenship, and we hope to distribute all citizenship identifications before holding constituent assembly elections," Tripathi said.
Nepal's population is around 27 million, with some 15.3 million eligible to vote, according to election commission figures.
The last general elections in Nepal were held in 1998.
In 2002, the king sacked the prime minister and replaced him with a series of royally-appointed premiers. He sacked the whole government in February 2005 and took direct control, saying politicians had failed to defeat the Maoists.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was