Nepali cabinet approves amendment to interim constitution

http://english.people.com.cn/200704/11/eng20070411_365534.html

The Nepali cabinet has approved the Second Amendment Bill to the Interim Constitution, with a new provision for abolition of the monarchy through the Interim Legislature, local media reported on Wednesday.

The government registered the bill at the Parliament Secretariat Tuesday afternoon, The Kathmandu Post reported.

An emergency meeting, held at the prime minister's official residence in Kathmandu, endorsed the bill which has proposed amendment in eight clauses of the interim statute as agreed by top leaders of the eight parties on April 1, shortly before they agreed to form the interim government.

The bill also includes government proposal to hold Constituent Assembly elections on June 20.

The Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs prepared the bill and tabled it at the cabinet meeting.

In the bill, the government has proposed to amend article 159 of the constitution to empower the Interim Legislature to abolish the monarchy by a two-third majority if the king was found involved in conspiracy against the constituent assembly polls.

The government has also proposed a provision for ouster of the prime minister through a two-third majority in the Interim Parliament, and a provision requiring the PM to seek a vote of confidence and summon a parliamentary session upon a call from one- fourth of the lawmakers.

The Interim Constitution promulgated on January 15 was amended for the first time on March 9 to calm down the three-week-long unrest in southern Nepal's Terai region.

The cabinet meeting also decided to ease the process of appointing Nepalese envoys abroad, scrapping the mandatory system of parliamentary confirmation hearings.

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