Archives

KATHMANDU, Wednesday (AFP) The leader of Nepal's upper house of parliament called on the royal-appointed government to convene the assembly by the end of November or face a fresh constitutional crisis.

Yubaraj Gyawali, who is from the top mainstream communist party, called on Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand to convey a message that the upper house must meet at least once every six months.

"I appeal to him to request the king to call a national assembly meeting on or before November 29 in order to protect the constitution and the parliamentary system," Gyawali said.

King Gyanendra on October 4 dismissed prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, calling him "incompetent," and replaced him with Chand, a staunch royalist.

The king had on May 22 on Deuba's recommendation dissolved the directly elected 205-member lower house of parliament and called new elections. The vote was due to begin Wednesday, but had been suspended by the king.

The status of the 60-member upper house has since remained ambiguous.

Ten of the upper house's members are appointed by the king and the rest by the political parties represented in the lower house.

All six parties in the dissolved parliament have refused to participate in the Chand government, saying it was formed in violation of the constitution.

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager