539520
AP TELEVISION
Katmandu - 11 Oct
2007
1. Thousands of supporters of former communist rebels, widely known as Maoists, gathering for the demonstration
2. Protesters chanting slogans: "
Declare the country a republic state.
Kick out the king."
548640
AP TELEVISION
Katmandu -
28 Dec 2007/
File
FILE: Katmandu,
26 December 2007
3. Wide of exterior of the parliament building in Katmandu
Katmandu,
28 December 2007
4.
Top shot of interior of parliament
5. Nepalese
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala walking to voting
6. Wide of
Parliament Speaker
Subash Nembwang inside parliament
FILE: Katmandu, 7 July 2007
7.
King Gyanendra walking inside royal palace
8. Mid of
Crown Prince Parash
FILE: Dhanchinkali temple, 16 kilometres (10 miles) south of Katmandu, 24
April 2007
9. King Gyanendra walking outside temple
STORYLINE:
Thousands of
Maoist supporters, in October, demonstrated in Katmandu demanding the
King be removed, as
Nepal's parliament began debate on abolishing the country's centuries-old monarchy to meet the demands of the country's former rebels.
"Declare the country a republic state. Kick out the king," chanted the estimated 5-thousand activists and supporters who marched through the main streets of the Nepalese capital.
Indrajit Tharu, a Maoist parliament member who joined the demonstration said it was aimed at pressurising "other parties to support the proposal".
"Our mass demonstration is in support of the proposal for a
Republic in Parliament. It is to show that the people support and are behind it," he said.
The communist rebels, widely known as Maoists, have demanded the king be removed immediately, while the largest party in parliament - Prime Minister
Girija Prasad's
Nepali Congress - said it would vote against such a proposal.
The Congress party, with 132 seats, said the king should be removed, but only after upcoming elections for a
Constituent Assembly, which will decide on Nepal's future political system.
King Gyanendra has been unpopular since he came to the throne in
2001 after a massacre in the royal palace left his brother,
King Birendra, and nine other royals dead.
Gyanendra seized absolute power in
2005, saying he would bring order to a chaotic political scene and quell the
Maoist insurgency.
But the political and economic climate worsened, and widespread discontent led to nearly a month of protests across the country in
April 2006, which ultimately forced Gyanendra to end his royal dictatorship. The king currently has no real power.
The Maoists last year gave up their 10-year armed revolt, in which more than 13-thousand people died, to join a
peace process. They joined parliament in January and the government in April.
Nepal's parliament voted on
December 28th in favour of abolishing the centuries-old monarchy and turning the
Himalayan nation into a republic.
"I announce that more than two thirds of members of the parliament have voted in favour of the proposal to amend the interim constitution," Speaker Subash Nembwang announced.
The vote in the capital Katmandu ensures the king will be removed immediately after elections in April for a constituent assembly, which is charged with rewriting Nepal's constitution.
The amendment passed will make Nepal a federal democratic republic and all powers of state will be held by the prime minister, Nembwang said.
It also marks the end of the world's last
Hindu monarchy.
The main political parties, including former rebels widely known as Maoists, signed an agreement to abolish the monarchy - a heated issue that caused the communists to pull out of the government.
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- published: 21 Jul 2015
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