Nepal: Interim PM refuses to step down

Nepal’s five former Communist rebels have quit the country’s interim government in an effort to force the current prime minister out and allow them to form a new administration.

The Maoists won the most seats in April’s election to replace the interim administration that has run Nepal since 2006, when the country’s king restored democracy and the militants began peace talks.

While they do not have a clear majority in the newly-elected Constituent Assembly, they have enough support from other political parties to form a coalition government.

However, current prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala of the rival Nepali Congress party, has refused to step down.