Independence: 1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah)
National holiday: Birthday of His Majesty the King, 28 December (1945)
Constitution: 9 November 1990
Legal system: based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev (succeeded to the throne 31 January 1972 following the death of his father King MAHENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev, crowned king 24 February 1975); Heir Apparent Crown Prince DIPENDRA Bir Bikram head of government: Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur CHAND (since 12 March 1997); note - in 1995, the king appointed Sher Bahadur DEUBA to be prime minister; DEUBA's parliamentary coalition fell apart when two Nepali Congress Party (NCP) members did not show up at a parliamentary confidence vote; a coalition of the Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist (CPN/UML) and the National Democratic Party (NDP) of Prime Minister CHAND was subsequently approved by the king cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the king on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: none; the king is a constitutional monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the king
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the National Council (60 seats; 35 appointed by the House of Representatives, 10 by the king, and 15 elected by an electoral college; one-third of the members elected every two years to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (205 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 15 November 1994 (next to be held by 15 November 1999) election results : House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NCP 33%, CPN/UML 31%, NDP 18%, Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party 3%, NWPP 1%; seats by party - CPN/UML 88, NCP 83, NDP 20, NWPP 4, Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party 3, independents 7; note - subsequent to the election, there was a change in the distribution of seats; the new distribution is as follows - CPN/UML 90, NCP 87, NDP 19, NWPP 3, Sadbhavana Party 3, independents 3
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Sarbochha Adalat), chief justice is appointed by the king on recommendation of the Constitutional Council, the other judges are appointed by the king on the recommendation of the Judicial Council
Political parties and leaders: Communist Party of Nepal/United
Marxist-Leninist (CPN/UML), Man Mohan ADHIKARI, party president;
Nepali Congress Party (NCP), Krishna Prasad BHATTARAI, Girija Prasad
KOIRALA, party president; National Democratic Party (NDP; also called
Rastriya Prajantra Party or RPP), Surya Bahadur THAPA; Sadbhavana
(Goodwill) Party, Gajendra Narayan SINGH, president; Nepal Workers and
Peasants Party (NWPP), Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE, party chair
Political pressure groups and leaders: numerous small, left-leaning student groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese antimonarchist groups