NAMES IN THE NEWS : Nepal King OKs Constitution
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KATMANDU, Nepal — King Birendra said today that he is prepared to be a constitutional monarch and has formed a commission to draft a constitution on those lines within 90 days.
The seven-member commission was formed “taking into consideration the greater welfare and interest of Nepal and the Nepalese people and to strengthen the constitutional monarchy and multiparty democracy,” the palace announcement said.
King Birendra was one of the last absolute monarchs of the world. He was forced to announce a multiparty government in Nepal after a seven-week pro-democracy movement launched Feb. 18 by the Nepali Congress party and seven communist parties.
Birendra’s father, King Mahendra, had dismissed Nepal’s only elected government after 18 months in power in December, 1960, and scrapped the constitution.
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