There's no future for a Nepalese monarchy, says premier Koirala

Jul 4, 2007, 14:35 GMT

Kathmandu - Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala Wednesday indicated that he sees no future for a monarchy in the Himalayan nation after a key election at the end of November.

Speaking in parliament to announce annual government programmes and policies, Koirala called on embattled King Gyanendra and the remnants of the old system to sideline themselves ahead of the constituent assembly elections.

'The constituent assembly elections will be a revolution that will lead the country into a new era,' Koirala said. 'The old feudal remnants should either vanish inside the country or leave the country before that.'

It was the third time in less than three months that Koirala suggested the king should step down and lead the life of an ordinary citizen or go into exile.

The constituent assembly formed after the election on November 22 will vote on whether Nepal remains a monarchy or becomes a republic.

King Gyanendra was stripped of all powers after a mass movement toppled his government in April 2006. Since then, political parties led by the Maoists have pressed for abolition of the monarchy ahead of the November elections.

However, Koirala along with his Nepali Congress Party say the future the 239-year-old Shah dynasty must be decided after the polls.

Koirala also said the government's top priority for the moment was to conduct the elections. 'All of the government's programmes are focused on conducting the elections, and the development programmes are secondary,' Koirala said.

Programmes and policies presented Wednesday were the first since Maoist former rebels joined the government in April.

The government proposed heightening security and enlisting the help of election monitors from the United Nations and other countries and organisations.

Political analysts in Kathmandu said that although a date for the election had been fixed, deteriorating law and order posed a serious challenge to holding a free and fair poll.