Nepal

The Kingdom of Nepal ({{IPA2|}} {{Audio|Nepal.ogg|listen}}) is a landlocked country in South Asia, bordering the People's Republic of China to the north and India to the south, east and west. Nepal has the distinction of being the world's only Hindu state, with over eighty percent of the people following this faith. For a relatively small country, the Nepali landscape is uncommonly diverse, ranging from the humid Terrai in the south to the lofty Himalayas in the north. Nepal boasts eight of the world's ten highest mountains, including Mount Everest on the border with China. Kathmandu is the capital and largest city. The exact origin of the name Nepal is uncertain, but the most popular understanding is that it is derived from Ne (holy) and pal (cave).

Government and politics

Until 1990, Nepal was an absolute monarchy under the executive control of the king. In 1990, King Birendra agreed to large-scale political reforms by creating a parliamentary monarchy with the king as head of state and a prime minister as head of government.

Related Topics:
1990 - Absolute monarchy - Parliamentary monarchy - Head of state - Head of government

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Nepal's legislature is bicameral constituting of a House of Representatives and a National Council. The House of Representatives consists of 205 members directly elected by the people. The National Council has 60 members, 10 nominated by the king, 35 elected by the House of Representatives and the remaining 15 elected by an electoral college made up of chairs of villages and towns. The legislature has a five-year term, but can be dissolved by the king before its term ends. All males and females 18 years and older may vote.

Related Topics:
Bicameral - House of Representatives - National Council

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The executive comprises the King and the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet). The leader of the coalition or party securing the maximum seats in an election is appointed as the Prime Minister. The Cabinet is appointed by the king on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The judiciary is made of the Sarbochha Adalat—the Supreme Court, appellate courts and various district courts. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the Constitutional Council; the other judges are appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Judicial Council.

Related Topics:
Council of Ministers - Cabinet - Sarbochha Adalat - Supreme Court

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The Nepali Congress Party (NCP), established in the 1940s, is the oldest party in Nepal. Other major parties are the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML), the pro-royalist National Democratic Party (NDP) and the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-ML), a faction of the CPN-UML. Governments in Nepal have tended to be highly unstable; no government has survived for more than two years, either through internal collapse or parliamentary dissolution by the monarch. In 2005, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other ministers were placed under house arrest, and King Gyanendra dissolved the parliament and declared a "state of emergency" which lasted till April. In August 2005 Deuba jailed after a Royal Commission found him guilty of corruption. According to a statement by Nepalese government in September 2005, parliamentary elections are to be held within the next two years.

Related Topics:
Nepali Congress Party - 1940s - Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) - National Democratic Party - Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist) - Sher Bahadur Deuba - House arrest - State of emergency - August 2005

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