Nepal's Constituent Assembly endorses new constitution

In a landmark step to culminate a prolonged transition after Nepal became republic in 2008, the country's Constituent Assembly on Wednesday endorsed a much-awaited new constitution of Nepal.

The constitution-making body of Nepal endorsed the constitution bill with an overwhelming two-thirds majority on Wednesday night, Xinhua reported.

The latest progress on constitution promulgation has marked a major step forward for democracy in Nepal, providing the Nepali people a great hope for a stable and prosperous country which faced a devastating earthquake on April 25 and ensuing aftershocks, political observers said.

Chairman of the Constituent Assembly Subhas Nembang made a final announcement in this regard after 507 out of total 601 lawmakers voted on the new constitution bill.

The new constitution, consisting of 308 articles and nine annexes, has secured a secularism and federal democratic republic.

Nepali President Ram Baran Yadav is scheduled to unveil the post-war national charter at 5 p.m. on September 20 in Kathmandu.

This is the first full-fledged constitution in the Himalayan nation. Earlier, the country got an interim constitution in 2007 following the people's movement in 2006 that toppled the 240-year monarchy.

Nepali parties started work on the new constitution in 2008.

A week ago, the Constitution Assembly began a voting process on the promulgation of the constitution bill after the major parties expressed commitment to bring the new statute at the soonest.

Nepal held elections to the second Constituent Assembly in November 2013.