|
Katmandu: The communist winners of last month's elections asked King Gyanendra on Tuesday to voluntarily leave his palace before the newly elected Constituent Assembly abolishes Nepal's centuries-old monarchy.
Top leaders of the former communist rebels, formally known as Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), said Gyanendra should leave the palace before May 28 - when the assembly meets for the first time - so there can be a smooth transition to a republic state.
"The king should voluntarily leave the palace even before the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly. If he does that, we will allow him to live as a common citizen and guarantee him security," Maoist leader Prachanda said.
Deputy leader Baburam Bhattarai also warned that if the king refuses to leave or shows any resistance, then action would be taken against him. He did not elaborate.
"The king has no other choice than leaving the palace," Bhattarai said.
The Maoists were the dominant party in elections last month for the assembly, winning 220 seats in the 601-member assembly.
Other parties were also determined to remove the king by the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly, chosen in the April 10 elections.
"The first meeting of the assembly will remove the king. It will be the primary duty of the members to do that," said Bimalendra Nidhi of the Nepali Congress party.
There has not been any comment from the king or the royal palace since the announcement of the date of the first meeting.
Nepal's prime minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, on Monday named May 28 as the first day for the assembly to begin work. The major political parties agreed before the election that the first meeting of the assembly would remove the king and declare Nepal a republic.
The 601-member assembly will also rewrite the constitution and decide the future political system for Nepal.
King Gyanendra made a rare public appearance Monday. Gyanendra went to Dakshinkali temple just south of Katmandu and took part in a Hindu ceremony.
Gyanendra became unpopular after he seized absolute power in 2005. He was forced to give up his authoritarian rule a year later following weeks of pro-democracy protests. Since then he has been stripped of all his powers, including command of the army.
The Maoists declared an end to their decade-long armed struggle in 2006 and formed a political party to contest the elections.
|
