Officials in Nepal say ruling parties and Maoist rebels have reached an agreement on an interim constitution.
The officials said today that the Seven Party Alliance and the communists agreed to transfer the king's authority as head of state to the prime minister during the transitional period.
The interim constitution will only take effect once the management of Maoist arms and fighters is settled.
The peace deal calls for an interim constitution until next year's election for a special assembly. The assembly then would create a new constitution and decide Nepal's political system. The lawmakers also would determine the future of King Gyanendra.
Violent street protests forced the king to relinquish his absolute powers and reinstate multi-party democracy in April.
