KATMANDU, Nepal - The world's last Hindu kingdom became its newest secular republic Wednesday as Nepal's lawmakers, led by former communist insurgents, abolished the monarchy that had reigned over this Himalayan land for 239 years.
Throughout the day, thousands of people marched, danced and sang in the streets of Katmandu in anticipation of the vote, waving red hammer-and-sickle flags as dour King Gyanendra awaited his fate in the pink concrete palace that dominates the city's center.
He finally found out the fate of his throne late in the day when, as expected, the newly elected Constituent Assembly declared the country a republic and abolished the monarchy by a vote of 560-4. The assembly's 37 other members were not present.
"We have entered a new era today," said Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, calling Nepal's rebirth as a republic "the dream of the whole nation."
There was no immediate reaction from the 61-year-old king, who has remained silent in recent months as it became apparent that his days on the throne were numbered.
He now has 15 days to quit the 1970s-era palace and move to his large private residence in the city, or face the possibility of being removed by force.
Groups of young men yelled in the streets and set off firecrackers. "The people in Nepal have defeated the autocrat Gyanendra," said Gopal Thapa, 23, a supporter of the Maoists, the former rebels. "Nepal is now the people's republic."
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