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Nepali King Gyandendra (left) with the sacked Prime Minister Deuba
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By
IOL South Asia Correspondent
NEW
DELHI, October 4 (IslamOnline) - Nepal's King Gyanendra sacked
caretaker Prime Minister SB Deuba and his cabinet of ministers Friday,
declaring he would temporarily take executive power of the country.
The king also postponed elections indefinitely.
Gyanendra,
speaking on state-run television and radio this evening, said Deuba
was "unqualified" to preside over elections that were
scheduled to start November 13.
Prime
Minister Deuba met the king Thursday to request the elections be
postponed for one year because of the "deteriorating
law-and-order situation" in the country due to the Maoist
rebellion.
The
Nepalese cabinet decided Thursday, October 3, to postpone the mid-term
polls by one year until November 19, 2003, due to security reasons.
It
is clear now that the king rejected the government's recommendation to
postpone the parliamentary polls until November 2003 which would have
allowed the government to rule without parliamentary mandate. The
cabinet sent a letter in this respect to the king citing the
"deteriorating law-and-order situation" in the country.
Last
Sunday Deuba was asked by seven major parties to postpone elections
due to security problems. The election to the 205-member assembly had
already been announced in six rounds beginning November 13, 2002.
King
Gyanendra dissolved parliament on Deuba's advice on May 2, two years
ahead of schedule, as the house looked set to end emergency rule
imposed to counter the Maoists. Maoist rebels had threatened to
disrupt the elections
The
ousted prime minister had just formed a new party, after being
prevented from using his former party's name and election symbol.
Deuba and his supporters were expelled from the Nepali Congress last
June.
Nepal
is reeling under a Maoist rebellion since 1996. Over 5,000 people have
died in the revolt, with more than 3,000 killed since last November.
The
country lived under an state of emergency for about a year until it
was allowed to lapse last month anticipating the elections.
Nepal
has enjoyed parliamentary democracy since 1990. The king's take over
may pave the way for the country to slide back to the old autocratic
rule and era of political unrest.
King
Birendra of Nepal with his whole family was wiped off in a palace
bloodbath in June 2001 paving the way for his brother Gyanendra to
take over as king.
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