Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala was sworn in on Sunday by King Gyanendra, the man whose powers he has vowed to cut after weeks of violent protests.
The two political foes stood face-to-face during the short ceremony at the pink-hued Narayanhiti Royal Palace as the king read out the oath and the veteran democracy campaigner repeated it, an AFP photographer witnessed.
Nepal's parliament on Sunday unanimously approved a proposal by the new prime minister to hold elections for a special assembly to draw up a new constitution that will decide the future of the monarchy.
The 205-member chamber took the decision at the end of a four-hour debate on the proposal, days after unpopular King Gyanendra returned power to political parties, but it did not set a date for the vote.
An election schedule is expected to be drawn up only after Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's government has held talks with Maoist insurgents and won their backing for the plan.
"The election to the constituent assembly is necessary to solve the grave problems facing the country," Sushil Koirala, a senior lawmaker of the Nepali Congress, told parliament on behalf of the prime minister, who did not sit through the session due to his poor health. The proposal was not put to a vote but was approved verbally.
"Without the election to the constituent assembly the Maoist problem cannot be solved and the aspirations of the Nepali people for peace cannot be achieved," lawmaker Rajendra Mahato of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party said during the debate.
The debate began with the prime minister inviting Maoist rebels to talks to try to bring peace to the Himalayan nation.
"I urge the Maoists, who have announced a three-month cease-fire, to stop violence now and come for talks immediately," said Koirala, who was sworn in by the king earlier in the day.
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