Nepal's major political parties have agreed to abolish the world's last Hindu monarchy as part of a deal to bring former communist rebels back into the government, the one-time insurgents said Monday, according to AP. While no timetable has been set for the communists to rejoin the government, the deal, signed Sunday, set the stage for Nepal's transition to a full republic less than two years after the country's king was forced to cede his near dictatorial powers following weeks of unrest. The communists, who are known as the Maoists, ended their decade-long rebellion last year and later joined the country's interim government. But they withdrew in September, demanding the monarchy be immediately abolished. The move plunged Nepal into a political crisis and threatened its transition to democracy. On Monday, the former rebels were buoyant over the deal bringing them back into the fold. The deal stipulates the monarchy will be eliminated once a special assembly charged with rewriting the constitution is elected. The vote had been delayed indefinitely by the Maoists' withdrawal from the government, and officials now say they want to hold it in the first half the year.
