nts Party, leader NA; Rohit Party, N. M. BIJUKCHHE;
Democratic Party, leader NA
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
House of Representatives:
last held on 12 May 1991 (next to be held May 1996); results - NCP 38%,
CPN/UML 28%, NDP/Chand 6%, UPF 5%, NDP/Thapa 5%, Terai Rights Sadbhavana
Party 4%, Rohit 2%, CPN (Democratic) 1%, independents 4%, other 7%; seats -
(205 total) NCP 110, CPN/UML 69, UPF 9, Terai Rights Sadbhavana Party 6,
NDP/Chand 3, Rohit 2, CPN (Democratic) 2, NDP/Thapa 1, independents 3; note
- the new Constitution of 9 November 1990 gives Nepal a multiparty democracy
system for the first time in 32 years

:Nepal Government

Communists:
Communist Party of Nepal (CPN)
Other political or pressure groups:
numerous small, left-leaning student groups in the capital; several small,
radical Nepalese antimonarchist groups
Member of:
AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNIFIL, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Yog Prasad UPADHYAYA; Chancery at 2131 Leroy Place NW,
Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 667-4550; there is a Nepalese
Consulate General in New York
US:
Ambassador Julia Chang BLOCH; Embassy at Pani Pokhari, Kathmandu; telephone
[977] (1) 411179 or 412718, 411604, 411613, 413890; FAX [977] (1) 419963
Flag:
red with a blue border around the unique shape of two overlapping right
triangles; the smaller, upper triangle bears a white stylized moon and the
larger, lower triangle bears a white 12-pointed sun

:Nepal Economy

Overview:
Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world.
Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for over
90% of the population and accounting for 60% of GDP. Industrial activity is
limited, mainly involving the processing of agricultural produce (jute,
sugarcane, tobacco, and grain). Production of textiles and carpets has
expanded recently and accounted for 87% of foreign exchange earnings in
FY89. Apart from agricultural land and forests, the only other exploitable
natural resources are mica, hydropower, and tourism. Agricultural production
in the late 1980s grew by about 5%, as compared with annual population
growth of 2.6%. Forty percent or more