KATMANDU, Nepal — Nepal’s prime minister fired the army chief Sunday after a struggle over admitting former Maoist rebel fighters to the military, sparking mass protests and jeopardizing the survival of the country’s first elected government.
President Ram Baran Yadav, meanwhile, rejected the ouster of army chief, Rookmangud Katawal, in a letter, calling it unconstitutional. The letter was delivered to Katawal’s office late Sunday and copies were also sent to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s residence.
Yadav was the first person elected as president in the Himalayan country, where a centuries-old monarchy was abolished last year. The army is officially under the president’s command, not the prime minister. But since the country’s constitution is being rewritten, many things are unclear, including who has power to fire the army chief. The president is a member of the Nepali Congress, which vowed to fight the prime minister’s decision.
The army chief’s dismissal frayed tense relations between the government, dominated by former Maoist rebels, and the military they long fought.
The fallout could pose the biggest challenge yet for Nepal’s troubled leaders who are struggling to provide basic services.
by the associated press
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