Nepal sets date to abolish monarchy
Updated
![Nepal's Maoists, who dominate the new government, have pledged to end King Gyanendra's reign. [AFP]](http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/img/news/base/nepal_king_afp_180506.jpg "Nepal's Maoists, who dominate the new government, have pledged to end King Gyanendra's reign. [AFP]")
Nepal's Maoists, who dominate the new government, have pledged to end King Gyanendra's reign. [AFP]
The Nepalese government has set May 28 to proceed with its planned abolition of the country's monarchy.
The government is dominated by Nepal's former rebel Maoists, who emerged as surprise winners of last month's elections, winning 220 seats in the 601-member Constituent Assembly.
They have said the first meeting of the elected body will end the 240-year-old monarchy.
However Kamal Thapa, a former royal home minister and unofficial emissary between the Maoists and King Gyanendra, says the king should retain some kind of ceremonial role.
"During my meetings with (Maoist leader) Prachanda, I have said that the king should not be given any political authority," Mr Thapa said.
"But he should be given a respectable status that allows him to enjoy his cultural and religious rights."
The April 10 elections were a key part of a 2006 peace deal between the Maoists and mainstream Nepalese political parties.
The deal ended a decade-long civil war which claimed at least 13,000 lives.
