Nepal descends into political chaos

Prime minister Deuba only has the support of about half Nepal's ruling party

KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- The ruling Nepalese Congress Party has suspended the prime minister for trying to extend the country's state of emergency.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has three days to respond after disobeying a party directive, which could lead to his expulsion from the ruling government or see him deposed as leader.

The suspension has raised serious questions over who will now run the country.

The king of Nepal already dissolved parliament on Wednesday, leaving Deuba to rule by decree until new elections are held in November.

State-run television said King Gyanendra disbanded the 205-member house of representatives at the recommendation of Deuba.

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"The prime minister asked the king to dissolve the parliament and call for mid-term polls on November 13," state radio and television said.

Deuba recommended that the parliament be dissolved after the ruling party ordered him not to seek a six-month extension of a state of emergency due to lapse on Saturday.

The country has been under that state of emergency because of attacks by Maoist rebels.

A statement issued by the Royal Palace just before midnight local time (18.30 Wednesday GMT) said the king acted on the recommendation of Prime Minister Deuba.

"We had no other option but to go to the polls again. We never thought the party would try (to) step on the position of the government like this," Associated Press reported Information Minister Jaya Prakash Gupta as saying.

The last election was held in May 1999, when the Nepali Congress won 113 of the 205 seats and formed a government. Since then, leadership power struggles within the party have led to three different prime ministers in as many years.

"The decision by the party has questioned the position of both the prime minister and the parliament ... so we had no other alternative other than to call for dissolution of the house," Gupta said.

But Nepal's information minister said there would be no let-up in a military campaign against the Maoists.

"The army deployment will continue as usual. We have told security agencies that there should be no let-up in tackling the Maoist terrorists," he told Reuters.

Fierce battles

King Gyanendra imposed the emergency on November 26, suppressing press freedom and giving soldiers and police powers to detain without charge people suspected of supporting the rebels who have fought for six years to overthrow the constitutional monarchy.

The emergency was declared after the rebels withdrew from stalemated peace talks and resumed attacks on police stations and government targets.

Gyanendra ordered the army to fight for the first time inside Nepal, to assist the ill-equipped police. The fiercest battles of the insurgency have since been reported.

"It was on the request of the security forces who are bravely fighting against the Maoist terrorists that we had decided to seek extension of the emergency. This will do nothing but discourage our forces on the battle grounds," Deuba said.

Since the rebels began their violent campaign in 1996, more than 3,500 people have been killed. More than half have died during the past five months as the army began sweeping rebel hide-outs.