[JURIST] The House of Representatives in Nepal [JURIST news archive] adopted the country's draft interim constitution [eKantipur highlights; JURIST news archive] Monday following its approval by the Nepalese cabinet [JURIST report] on Sunday. The interim constitution simultaneously provides for the dissolution of the current House of Representatives and the creation of an interim parliament which will include twenty-five percent of seats held by former Maoist insurgents. The new representative body faces the tasks of drafting a permanent constitution and resolving the status of King Gyanendra [official profile] and the Nepalese monarchy.

Nepalese government negotiators and Maoist rebels reached an agreement [JURIST report] on the 168 articles of the interim constitution to replace Nepal's current constitution [text] in December following the end of the Maoist guerilla insurgency against the Nepalese government that began in 1996 and left over 13,000 people dead. Reuters has more.