KATMANDU: Petitions have been filed in Nepal’s Supreme Court challenging the formation of an interim government and the dissolution of parliament following last month’s uprising, a court official said Wednesday.
The youth-led protests, which erupted on September 8 over a brief social media ban, economic hardship and corruption, quickly morphed into nationwide fury after a deadly crackdown.
Two days of violence left at least 73 people dead, the parliament and government offices burned down, and forced the government’s collapse.
Former chief justice Sushila Karki, 73, was nominated as prime minister and the parliament was dissolved shortly after.
But the legality of those moves is now under scrutiny.
“Eleven petitions have been filed stating that the formation of the new interim government and the dissolution of the lower house is unconstitutional,” Nirajan Pandey, the court’s information officer told AFP.
Pandey said procedures were underway to register the petitions, after which hearings would be scheduled.
A day after the dissolution, leaders of eight political parties issued a joint statement calling for the reinstatement of parliament.
“It was not envisioned in the constitution that such a situation would arise,” lawyer Dinesh Tripathi said.
“It is a challenge, but the court will decide.”
KP Sharma Oli, the 73-year-old Marxist who served as prime minister four times before his ouster, has called for the reinstatement of the parliament “that was unconstitutionally dissolved,” in an address to supporters earlier this month.
The Supreme Court building was also damaged by fire during the protests, and only resumed full operations on Tuesday, with many sections operating under a tent.
Legal battle looms over Nepal’s post-uprising interim government
https://arab.news/gtsk6
Legal battle looms over Nepal’s post-uprising interim government
- Youth-led protests over economic hardship and corruption in September forced the government’s collapse
- A day after the dissolution, leaders of eight political parties calrrg for the reinstatement of parliament
Ukraine president to meet European allies after Trump criticism
- Talks between Ukrainian and US officials in Miami ended on Saturday with no apparent breakthrough
- President Donald Trump accuses Ukrainian leader of not reading the US proposal to end the war with Russia
LONDON: Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky was due to meet with European allies in London on Monday, after President Donald Trump accused him of not reading the US proposal to end the war with Russia.
It comes after days of talks between Ukrainian and US officials in Miami ended on Saturday with no apparent breakthrough, with Zelensky committing to further negotiations.
The Ukrainian president will be received in London by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, along with the German chancellor and French president to discuss the negotiations.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is meanwhile expected in Washington on Monday, where she will meet her American counterpart Marco Rubio.
“The UK and US will reaffirm their commitment to reaching a peace deal in Ukraine,” the Foreign Office in London said, announcing Cooper’s visit.
Moscow has meanwhile continued to strike its neighbor, wounding at least nine people overnight Sunday to Monday, according to Ukrainian officials.
‘Disappointed’
Zelensky said he joined his negotiators for a “very substantive and constructive” call with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during the Miami negotiations.
“Ukraine is committed to continuing to work honestly with the American side to bring about real peace,” Zelensky said on Telegram, adding that the parties agreed “on the next steps and the format of the talks with America.”
But Trump criticized his Ukrainian counterpart on Sunday, telling reporters “I have to say that I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelensky hasn’t yet read the proposal, that was as of a few hours ago.”
Witkoff and Kushner had met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin last week, with Moscow rejecting parts of the US proposal.
French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of Monday’s talks slammed what he called Russia’s “escalatory path.”
“We will continue these efforts with the Americans to provide Ukraine with security guarantees, without which no robust and lasting peace will be possible,” Macron wrote on X.
He added: “We must continue to exert pressure on Russia to compel it to choose peace.”
Hot and cold
Washington’s initial plan to bring an end to the almost four-year war involved Ukraine surrendering land that Russia has not been able to win on the battlefield in return for security promises that fall short of Kyiv’s aspirations to join NATO.
But the nature of the security guarantees that Ukraine could get has so far been shrouded in uncertainty, beyond an initial plan saying that jets to defend Kyiv could be based in Poland.
Trump has blown hot and cold on Ukraine since returning to office in January, initially embracing Putin and chastising Zelensky for not being grateful for US support.
But he has also grown frustrated that his efforts to persuade Putin to end the war, including a summit in Alaska, have failed to produce results and he recently slapped sanctions on Russian oil firms.
