Republic in installments - By Indra Adhikari

http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2007/others/feature/dec/news_feature03.php

The seven parties pushed their decision to proclaim Nepal as a federal democratic republic through the interim parliament, on Friday (December 28) despite the opposition from certain quarters. But by inserting a clause stating that this proclamation will be implemented by the first meeting of the elected Constituent Assembly, the parties have opted for republic in installments.

The nation has been proclaimed a republic but there is a clause that says monarchy will be removed before the constituent assembly polls if it puts obstacles in the process, which points at the fact that the parties still accept the existence of monarchy in the country, in one or the other form.

Republic proclamation has drawn mixed reaction from different sections of political forces. Pashupati Shumsher Rana, president of Rastriya Prajantra Party (RPP) - a rightist liberal party - has said the amendment is 'contradictory'. Former Prime Minister and president of Rastriya Janashakti Party (RJP) Surya Bahadur Thapa termed the decision as an autocratic saying that the nominated people were dictating the course for elected assembly.

The amendment says that the king will not have any authority in state affairs. The authorities being exercised by the king as the head of the state, henceforth, have been transferred to the prime minister as the officiating head of the state.

Some months back, while in his hometown Biratnagar, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala had said that there was already 80 percent republic in the country. He had also said it takes time to totally erase the monarchy that has ruled Nepal for nearly two-and-half century.

On Friday, lawmakers endorsed another installment of the republican order. This decision, which was meant to placate the Maoist opposition, received meager opposition. Three votes were cast against the order while two others boycotted.

The seven parties reached this agreement 19 months after King Gyanendra surrendered before the mass movement. On the 19th day of the people's movement, he had lost his hold on power and on the 19th month he lost the institution.

The international community that greatly influences the national politics, particularly in this transitional phase, has remained silent on decision of the seven parties to declare republic. India and China in their statements only appreciated the decision of the parties to hold election by mid-April. Even the representative of United Nations Secretary General to Nepal Ian Martin has refused to comment on this issue but has amply appreciated the parties' decision and commitments for early polls.

A week ago, a royal hardliner Rabindra Nath Sharma had indicated that the king could take some steps in the changing circumstances.

One of the major arguments raised by the opponents of the seven parties' decision is that it has hijacked the sovereign power vested in Nepali people. The decision for republic order has come from the top leaders of the seven parties and a House of nominated persons instead of by the election where sovereign people cast their votes, they say.

Critics say parties have no basis to claim that republican system is the demand of wider Nepali populace unless an election or referendum is held.

RPP, Rastriya Janashakti Party and a few others called for popular mandate while taking decision in such a big issue. Nepali Congress, for sometimes, had taken similar stand but it wilted under the continued pressure from the Maoists and other communist parties.

The parties have reserved the final installment of the republic for the first sitting of the elected constituent assembly. But it all depends on whether they walk their talk by actually holding the election this time.

If they fail to do so, the countrymen will be in big confusion regarding the basic status of their nation. nepalnews.com Dec 30 07