Nepal finally gets a new charter

Nepal's parliament passed a new national constitution yesterday, weeks after political leaders reached a historic agreement to create a federal state following an earthquake that killed nearly 9,000 people.

A loud cheer went up in the House as Speaker Subash Nembang announced that the long-delayed bill had been passed, with 507 of the 598 lawmakers voting in favour.

The marathon vote, which began on Sunday and continued late into yesterday night, follows violent protests that have killed more than 40 people and shut down large swathes of the south.

The new charter will replace an interim constitution in place since the end of a decade-long civil war that led to the abolition of the Hindu monarchy, and is due to come into force on Sunday evening.

It will divide the Himalayan nation of 28 million people into seven federal provinces, a move aimed at devolving power from the centre, but which critics say will not do enough to empower historically marginalised groups.

They include the Madhesi and Tharu ethnic minorities, who mainly inhabit the country's southern plains and who claim that the new internal borders will leave them underrepresented.

Political leaders counter that no deal would have pleased everyone, and point to the urgency of ending the long stand-off over the constitution so that the country can start rebuilding.

Work on a new constitution began in 2008, two years after the end of a civil war between state forces and Maoist guerrillas seeking to depose an autocratic king and end high levels of social inequality.