In a fresh move to curtail his authority, Nepal’s parliament has unanimously voted to strip King Gyanendra of his right to veto laws, ensuring a purely ceremonial role for the once powerful monarch. The new regulation was passed by the lawmakers late last night, according to a parliament notice published today. It authorised the House of Representatives speaker to certify the passing of any bill in Parliament. The King will no longer be able to reject bills and laws passed by parliament, and the lawmakers will not need to seek his approval while signing bills into law.

The King, who was directly ruling the country for 14 months after sacking the government of then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba in February 2005, handed over power to the seven-party alliance and reinstated Parliament in April this year after a 19-day agitation against him.