From the archive record
Busy traffic seen near the Shingh Durbar (not the Nepal Parliament building) in Kathmandu city, Nepal. The current parliament of Nepal is the 2nd Nepalese Constituent Assembly. The former Parliament of Nepal was dissolved by King Gyanendra in 2002, on the grounds that it was incapable of handling the Maoist rebels. The country's five main political parties have staged protests against the king, arguing that he must either call fresh elections or reinstate the elected legislature. In 2004, the king announced that parliamentary elections would be held within twelve months; in April 2006, in response to major pro-democratic protests, it was announced that Parliament would be reestablished. On January 15, 2007, the old parliament was dissolved and replaced by the 330-member interim legislature