The Maoists left the cabinet in September, saying they would only return once the monarchy had been abolished. The current dynasty dates from 1769.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has named five Maoist ministers. Parliamentary elections, which were to have been held in November, are now scheduled for April. Last year the former rebels signed a peace agreement, ending a ten-year-long insurgency which cost more than 13,000 lives.

By Copyright Radio Netherlands 2007