Nepali parties agree on ceremonial president, executive PM

Nepalese leaders yesterday agreed to create a ceremonial president, with the executive powers in the hands of the prime minister ahead of a key Constituent Assembly meeting tomorrow that is set to abolish the 240-year-old monarchy and declare the country a republic.
Overcoming a deadlock in the formation of a coalition government, the CPN-Maoist in principle agreed to the demand of the mainstream parties to create a separate post of a president with a ceremonial role.
"The Maoists have agreed to create a separate post of president after abolishing the monarchy," said Nepali Congress vice-president Gopalman Shrestha after the conclusion of the crucial meeting of the mainstream parties.
"However, formal agreement to this effect is yet to be signed," he said.
The high-level meeting of the top leaders of the major political parties -- the Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist -- are yet to decided whether both the executive and ceremonial posts will be held by a single party or will be distributed among the coalition partners. Presently, the interim constitution has empowered the prime minister to carry out the functions of the ceremonial head of state.
The Maoists were adamant on its demand that the two posts need not be separated and its leader Prachanda should hold both posts of the executive prime minister as well as the ceremonial president in the next government.
The crucial meeting of the leaders of three major political parties which started at the Prime Minister G P Koirala's residence was put off for the oath taking ceremony of 601-member Constituent Assembly today at the Birendra International Convention Centre in the capital.
Earlier Nepal has sworn in a new assembly charged with reshaping the country from a conflict-ridden Himalayan kingdom into a peaceful republic.
The 601 lawmakers sworn in Tuesday are expected to abolish Nepal's 239-year-old monarchy when they hold their first meeting Wednesday.
But what comes next remains uncertain for the new assembly, which is to govern Nepal as it rewrites the constitution.
Nepal's former rebels hold the most seats but are still struggling to form a government, and political violence has persisted despite a two-year peace process that brought the insurgents into democratic politics.
Security was on high alert in Nepal's capital Tuesday after three explosions shook the city ahead of a historic meeting that is expected to abolish the country's 240-year-old monarchy.
Two small bombs were hurled outside the meeting venue Monday, along with a note by a previously unknown Hindu nationalist group claiming responsibility. Another explosion targetted the home of a key pro-republic rights activist.
Some 10,000 police had been deployed in key areas, police said, following the blasts, which caused no injuries.
"Security has been stepped up," Jaya Mukunda Khanal, a senior administrative official told AFP.
Police banned protests in key areas around the palace as well as at the convention centre where the assembly, elected last month, is slated to end King Gyanendra's rule on Wednesday and transform the nation into a republic.
"Security forces are on high alert, particularly around the palace, the constituent assembly meeting venue and the king's residence," said Khanal.
Some 575 new members of Nepal's constituent assembly were to be sworn in later on Tuesday but the parties and Maoists had yet to agree on the naming of 26 other representatives as well as on the formation of a government.
"We are still trying to reach a consensus with the other political parties to form a government under our leadership," Maoist spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara told AFP.
"But a republic will be declared at any cost.”