SAVE MONEY ON TRAVEL DEALS

The 601-member Constituent Assembly, which will write a new constitution to make the country a republic, is 26 members short. Those members are to be appointed by the new Cabinet, which is expected to be led by Maoist leader Prachanda.

Security was extremely tight because of two minor blast incidents the previous day, Nepalnews.com reported.

The assembly is made up largely of members of the three main parties: Prachanda's CPN (Maoists), outgoing Prime Minister G.P Koirala's Nepali Congress and the Unified Marxist Leninist.

With the monarchy expected to be abolished at the first meeting Wednesday, the country will have a ceremonial president and an executive prime minister. The three parties agreed Tuesday all executive powers would vest with the prime minister, one of the party leaders was quoted as saying.

When the monarchy abolished, King Gyanendra, who has already had much of powers stripped away, will give up his crown.

Prachanda's Maoists, who waged a decadelong rebellion against the monarchy until a peace deal in 2006, won more than 200 seats in the April elections to gain the right to form the government.

 BREAKING STORIES

Fair advertises Afghan pomegranates

BNP to take part in Bangladesh polls

Sri Lanka claims major victory

Pakistan to protest latest U.S. strike

Overland Afghanistan supply route eyed

U.S.-Afghan Rift Builds Around Karzai's Overture to Taliban

White House Official Doubts Taliban Claim

Nepal begins drafting of constitution

Bangladesh: Indian border guard kills 3

Suicide car attack kills three in Pakistan

Coalition forces kill 38 militants

Official says Pakistan had to approach IMF

Pakistan says 16 militants killed

Coalition forces kill 30 Taliban fighters

Report: Pakistan, U.S. have deal on drones

Sri Lanka enters key rebel-held city

10 militants slain in Afghanistan raid

Suicide car bomb kills 19 in Afghanistan

Maldives president wants nation relocation

77 become U.S. citizens on Veterans Day