VOA常速英语2007-Nepal's Maoists Seek Parliamentary Support for R

By Liam Cochrane
Kathmandu
08 October 2007

Nepal's former Maoist rebels are drafting a motion to abolish the monarchy¹ and they plan to propose it in a special session of Parliament. Liam Cochrane reports from Kathmandu The move comes as political parties scramble² for new directions after the indefinite postponement³ of the November elections.

Nepal's Maoist party says it will use Thursday's emergency meeting of parliament to put forward a bill to declare a republic and force lawmakers to reveal their positions on the controversial monarchy.

The Maoists' demand to abolish the monarchy before a scheduled election on November 22, rather than afterward⁴ as originally planned, caused a delay in the vote.

The Constituent⁵ Assembly election was a key part of a peace deal signed between the former rebels and mainstream⁶ political parties last year.

The assembly is to rewrite the constitution and decide on the fate of the monarchy. The vote was delayed last week, after the prime minister rejected demands from the Maoists.

Maoist lawmaker Khim Lal Devkota says his party now will put forward two bills - one proposing a change in the voting system and the other directing the government to abolish the monarchy.

"I think more than 90 percent of the members of parliament, 90-percent of the parties, are in favor of republican [system] that is why [when] we put forward the proposal of the republican [system] that will be passed by overwhelming majority," he said.

The Maoists need a two-thirds majority to pass the motions, so they will need the support of other parties.

Nepal's second largest political party, the United Marxist Leninist faction⁷ of the Communist Party, is also strongly republican and has called for a referendum on the monarchy.

So far, the ruling Nepali Congress party has hedged its bets on the issue of the king, but Maoist politician Devkota is optimistic it will back the republic bill.

"They are still hesitant to declare a republic from the Parliament up to now, but we are hopeful that in a special session they will change their mind in favor of the republic," he said.

The overthrow⁸ of the king was a goal of the decade-long Maoist insurgency⁹, in which 13,000 people died before fighting ended last year.

1 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

2 scramble   

v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料

参考例句：

• He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。
• It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。

3 postponement   

n.推迟

参考例句：

• He compounded with his creditors for a postponement of payment. 他与债权人达成协议延期付款。
• Rain caused the postponement of several race-meetings. 几次赛马大会因雨延期。

4 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

5 constituent   

n.选民；成分，组分；adj.组成的，构成的

参考例句：

• Sugar is the main constituent of candy.食糖是糖果的主要成分。
• Fibre is a natural constituent of a healthy diet.纤维是健康饮食的天然组成部分。

6 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

7 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

8 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

9 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网