KATMANDU, Nepal, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Nepal is in the midst of a political crisis Sunday after the country's king fired the prime minister and the Cabinet citing their inability to maintain stability ahead of the country's elections scheduled for November.
King Gyanendra fired Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba Friday after he had asked that the November election be delayed by a year because of the country's problems with Maoist guerrillas. Deuba had said the rebels were trying to sabotage the elections, but the king saw this as the government's inability to run the country.
The Maoist uprising has cost more than 5,000 lives since it began in 1996.
Parties across the political spectrum condemned the king's move, calling it "unconstitutional and undemocratic."
"The process of the royal decree could not match the commitments made for democracy and constitutional monarchy in the declaration," said a statement issued after a meeting of central working committee of the Nepali Congress and Nepali Congress (Democratic) parties.
Official Radio Nepal reported rallies in support of the king's decision in various parts of the country.
The Nepalnews.com Web site reported that the king had asked political parties to recommend within Wednesday names of untainted politicians to run the government.
