Nepali King dismisses his Prime Minister and cabinet

KIing Gyanendra of Nepal said yesterday that he had fired the country's Prime Minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba, calling him "incompetent" and "incapable" of holding parliamentary elections on schedule.

The announcement, made in a speech on state-run Radio Nepal and Nepal Television, came a day after Mr Deuba had asked the King to postpone November's parliamentary elections by a year due to fears of attacks by Maoist rebels. "I have decided to relieve incompetent Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who was incapable of holding the parliamentary election on schedule, and have disbanded the cabinet," the King said.

This was the first time the King has ousted an elected government and its leader since Nepal's absolute monarchy ended in 1990 and was replaced by a multi-party system.

In his speech, the King said he was also postponing the election, initially scheduled for mid-November, and would temporarily hold executive powers until a new government was formed. He set a five-day limit for political parties to suggest candidates to head an interim government. The King added that the interim leader would not be allowed to run for office in the polls.

The King holds little power over day-to-day government affairs, and usually follows recommendations from the Prime Minister and cabinet. But the constitution allows him to overrule the elected government and remove elected leaders during a political crisis.

Nepal's Maoist rebels, who have been fighting since 1996 to abolish the monarchy, have threatened to disrupt elections. They have also called a general strike for 11-13 November, which would have coincided with the first round of voting.

More than 5,000 people have died in the insurgency, which the rebels claim is inspired by the Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong. (AP)