Nepal Maoists quit government

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KATHMANDU, Sept 18 (AFP): Nepal's Maoists announced Tuesday they had quit the coalition government after other parties refused to bow to the ex-rebels' demand for for the monarchy to be immediately abolished.
"We have pulled out from the government this afternoon as the talks failed to reach an understanding on the immediate abolition of monarchy and a proportional election system," senior Maoist official Dev Gurung told AFP.
The Maoists, who signed a landmark peace deal ending their decade-long insurgency 10 months ago, wanted their government partners to immediately dethrone the unpopular King Gyanendra and declare Nepal a republic.
Under the terms of the peace deal, the future of the monarchy was supposed to have been decided by a democratically elected constitutional body.
But the Maoists claim the king's supporters are planning to undermine polls planned for November.
Maoist leader Prachanda-whose nom de guerre means "the fierce one"-was due to meet the country's premier early Tuesday after the two sides held emergency talks to try to reach a deal to end the deadlock.
But Maoist officials were pessimistic about the prospect of staying in government.
The ultra-leftists joined the government after ending a decade of civil war with a landmark peace deal late last year.
Now they want the country to be declared a republic immediately, ahead of elections planned for November to vote for a body to rewrite the constitution.
"We have come to the conclusion that if our two main demands are not met we will declare plan to leave the government and launch a schedule of protests Tuesday afternoon," C.P. Gajurel, a Maoist leader told AFP.
As well as an immediate end to the country's monarchy, the Maoists are demanding a proportional election system in crucial polls planned for November that will decide the country's political future.
"We are open to the possibilites of more talks Tuesday," said Gajurel.
In return for ending their bloody civil war, the former rebels have been given seats in parliament and ministerial portfolios, and have placed their "people's liberation army" under UN monitoring.
The ultra leftists launched their "people's war" in west Nepal in 1996, and until the peace accord was signed last year, the conflict had killed more than 13,000 people in the impoverished Himalayan nation.
The peace deal signed by the Maoists late last year stipulated that the future of the monarchy would be decided in a vote by the body elected to rewrite the constitution.
"We believe as long as monarchy remains, real constituent assembly elections cannot take place and thus total democracy cannot be established in the country," Gurung, the Maoist minister told AFP.
Analysts said last year's peace deal would be severely threatened if the rebels quit the government.
"If they go ahead with the protests, the comprehensive peace accord will be destroyed," C.K. Lal, a political analyst and newspaper columnist, told AFP.