By Xinhua Writer Zhang Jianhua
KATHMANDU, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- After a decade of
civil war, Nepalese political parties joined hands to overthrow the 240-year
Shah monarchy and declared a republic of the Himalayan nation in 2008.
On the night of May 28, Chairman of the Nepali
Constituent Assembly (CA) announced at a meeting that as there were 560 votes in
support of the proposal for the implementation of republic, Nepal became a
Federal Democratic Republic from the same day.
CA chairman Kul Bahadur Gurung said that in
accordance with the proposal by the voters, "Nepal has turned into an
independent, indivisible, secular, inclusive, federal democratic republic with
sovereignty and state authority vested in the people."
On the same occasion, Gurung declared that king
Gyanendra and the royal family members no longer have any right and privilege
other than those of common Nepali citizens.
The decision made by the first CA meeting marked the
start of anew history of the South Asian nation.
VICTORY OF LONG-TIME MOVEMENT
"It's a big day for all the Nepalese people and a
victorious moment. We have felt that our contributions have finally paid off,"
said Rabindra Bhandari, a young man supporting the Communist Party of Nepal
(Maoist) (CPN-M).
In February 1996, the CPN-M launched a "People's
War", aiming at establishing a "people's new democratic republic" in the
country. Following a decade of guerrilla war, the CPN-M joined hands with other
political parties in the "People's Movement" in April 2006 after former king
Gyanendra in February 2005 dismissed the government and got full executive
powers. The movement finally forced Gyanendra to reinstate the parliament and
end his direct rule.
The republic founding procedure proceeded with the
progress made in the peace process. The Seven-Party Alliance government led by
the then Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala intensified peacetalks with the
CPN-M, and they signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in November 2006,
ending the civil war and starting the peace process.
In January 2007, the CPN-M entered into the Interim
Parliament and then was included in the Interim Government which was formed
three months later.
On May 8, the Election Commission of Nepal formally
publicized the results of the CA elections and the CPN-M emerged as the single
largest party, winning 220 out of all the elected 575 seats, thus making the
leftist party one of the key factors in the establishment of the republic.
MUCH WORK TO BE DONE
Although Nepal has become a federal republic, there
is still much to be done. The republic needs to be safeguarded by the conclusion
of the peace process and to be solidified with a republic constitution.
In July, Ram Baran Yadav was elected as the first
president and in August, Prachanda was elected as the first prime minister of
the republic.
But the peace process is yet to be concluded, mainly
due to the issue of the CPN-M army integration. There are around 19,000
combatants, monitored by the United Nations in 28 camps around the country.
The Nepali government on Oct. 28 formed the Army
Integration Special Committee (AISC) under the leadership of Deputy Prime
Minister and Home Minister Bamdev Gautam to oversee the management, integration
and rehabilitation of the CPN-M combatants monitored by the United Nations.
Meanwhile, a new constitution for the Federal
Democratic Republic of Nepal will not be promulgated until May 2010. Both the
ruling parties and the opposition opined about the new pro-people constitution,
but an ambiguously defined "pro-people" constitution can still be foggy.
In addition, local media reported that differences
still exist among the leaders of the ruling party the CPN-M, including
high-ranking officials Prachanda and Kiran, over the crucial issue of what kind
of a republic that the country should pursue -- a people's republic, a federal
democratic republic, or a transitional republic.
Nepal has set up a milestone for the foundation of
the republic in 2008 but the republic building process will be a long way to
go.
