On this day in 2007, Nepal’s parliament voted in favour of abolishing the centuries-old monarchy and turning the Himalayan nation into a republic. More than two-thirds of parliament voted in favour of amending an interim constitution to end the monarchy after an agreement by the main political parties was reached a week prior.
The December 28 vote ensured the king would be removed immediately after constituent assembly elections scheduled for mid-April 2008. Those elected to the assembly were charged with rewriting Nepal’s constitution.
The amendment made Nepal a federal democratic republic with all powers of state held by the prime minister.
The transition was completed on May 28, 2008.
Established in 1768 by Prithvi Narayan Shah, the Kingdom of Nepal lasted for over 200 years. However, a power grab by King Gyanenda, the last king of Nepal, who dismissed parliament and seized total power in February 2005, resulting in weeks of unrest, stoked the anger of an already wary public and put the country on the road to becoming a republic.
Nepal is the world’s only country with Hinduism as the state religion.
-ENCL
Photo Caption – Crowds gather outside Kathmandu’s International Convention Centre on December 28, 2007, as they wait for the outcome of the vote to abolish the centuries-old Nepal monarchy – AFP
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