In yet another to move to curtail royal powers, the reinstated House of Representatives (HoR) has passed the HoR Regulation on Saturday thereby severing all sorts of formal ties between the parliament and the Narayanhiti royal palace.
House of Representativesl (File Photo)
According to the HoR regulation, passed unanimously by the House, the practice of convening the parliament and announcing the government’s annual policies and programmes in parliament by His Majesty the King have come to an end. Both the jobs will now be done by the Prime Minister.
Similarly, bills passed by the parliament will no more need ‘lal mohar’ (the royal seal). The Regulation said the House of Representatives will enact a new law to name the heir to the throne. Earlier, Raj Parishad– the royal advisory body—used to name the heir to the throne. The HoR proclamation on May 18 scrapped the provision of Raj Parishad altogether.
The proclamation also changed the name of the government, brought the army under the purview of the parliament and made royal properties taxable.
Analysts say the HoR Regulation has effectively ended the concept of “King in Parliament” propounded by the constitution of the kingdom of Nepal, 1990.
“The Regulation has ensured people’s victory over monarchy and cut the king to his size,” said CPN (UML) lawmaker Raghuji Pant addressing Saturday’s meeting of the House. The Regulation was passed unanimously by the House through voice vote.
Keeping in view of the protest by the Judiciary regarding the provision of taking oath of office before a parliamentary committee, the Regulation said office bearers of the Judiciary will have to take oath of office as specified by a special committee of the HoR.
The HoR proclamation earlier said all the officials holding public office must take oath of office before the special committee of the HoR and would lose their job if they refused.
A parliamentary committee headed by president of the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP), Narayan Man Bijukchhe, had drafted the Regulation.