Nepal Parliament's winter session summoned on Oct 2

Kathmandu: Nepal's President Ram Baran Yadav has called the Parliament's winter session next week, days after the lawmakers promulgated the country's new Constitution that triggered widespread protests in the southern plains bordering India.

President Ram Baran Yadav called the winter session of the Parliament on October 2 on the recommendation of the Cabinet.

The House was prorogued on the eve of promulgation of new Constitution on Sunday to allow Prime Minister Sushil Koirala to attend United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Koirala, however, called off his visit owing to domestic political situation.

According to the transitional provisions in the new Constitution, the House will have to hold elections of Prime Minister, Speaker and Deputy Speaker, and President and Vice-President in seven days, 20 days and 30 days respectively.

Nepal adopted a historic Constitution on September 20 after seven years of painstaking deliberations marking its transition into a fully secular and democratic republic from a Hindu monarchy, amid violence by minority Madhesi groups over a seven province federal structure.

More than 40 people have died in southern and western Nepal where Madhesi parties and Tharu ethnic groups have been protesting for more than a month over splitting the country into seven provinces.

Madhesis, Indian-origin people living on the foothills of Nepal's Terai region, are demanding more rights and representation to the marginalised communities as well as reforms in the current citizenship regulations.