Nepal's major political parties have demanded the country's President Ram Chandra Poudel reinstates the parliament he dissolved following deadly anti-corruption protests.
In a statement, eight parties - including the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, and Maoist Centre - said the president acted unconstitutionally.
Poudel dissolved the House of Representatives on Friday upon the recommendation of newly-appointed interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki; it was also a key demand from the protest movement.
More than 50 people were killed in clashes with riot police during this week's mass protests sparked by a ban on social media platforms. Karki was appointed after a deal was reached with protest leaders.
The ban was lifted on Monday, but by then, the protests had swelled into a mass movement. Angry crowds set fire to parliament and government buildings in the capital Kathmandu on Tuesday, forcing then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign.
Saturday's statement demanding the reinstatement of the parliament was signed by the chief whips of the eight political parties. They argued the step taken by the president was unconstitutional and against the precedents set by Nepal's judiciary.
The dissolution of the parliament was a major demand by student leaders from the so-called 'Gen Z' protest movement. However, the eight parties contend that the protesters' demands, including new elections announced for 5 March next year, should be addressed through an institution voted by the people.
President Poudel is yet to publicly respond to the parties' statement. Karki, a 73-year-old former Supreme Court chief justice and the first woman to lead the impoverished Himalayan nation, was sworn in during a brief ceremony in Kathmandu. She is expected to appoint ministers to her cabinet within a few days.
Karki is widely regarded as having a clean image, and her leadership of the interim government is being supported by student leaders from the 'Gen Z' movement. However, her cabinet will face multiple challenges, including restoring law and order, reconstructing parliament and the other key buildings that were attacked, and bringing those responsible for violence to justice.
Nepal is gradually returning to normalcy after the worst unrest in decades. Soldiers had been deployed to patrol the streets of Kathmandu but returned to their bases after Karki took the oath of office. The protests were triggered by the government's decision to ban 26 social media platforms, which soon manifested deeper discontent with Nepal's political elite, highlighting issues such as corruption and accountability.
