KATHMANDU (AFP) -- Nepal's interim Parliament Monday was set to debate and approve a proclamation that would drastically clip the powers of King Gyanendra, including his control of the army.

Political leaders were meeting with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to finalize the proclamation Monday morning, and it was expected to be passed in Parliament later in the day.

"It's very important and it will be helpful for the establishment of a republic in the country," said Raghuji Panta a senior leader from the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and a member of Parliament.

"It will also open the way for constituent assembly elections and it will open doors to bring the Maoists to the negotiating table and bring the army under the control of the government," Panta said.

Monday's proclamation is expected to override the constitution of 1990, which was approved with the support of King Gyanendra's predecessor, King Birendra.

King Birendra was assassinated by his son, crown prince Dipendra, in a palace massacre in 2001. Dipendra committed suicide which allowed Gyanendra to become king.

The 1990 constitution handed over most power to Parliament, but allowed the monarchy to retain control of the army and stay involved in politics, one analyst said.

"If they pass such a proclamation it will be more important than the 1990 constitution," said Professor Krishna Khanal, from Kathmandu's Tribhuavan University.

"It will be the country's first attempt to deal with the king and his power," said Khanal.

A provisional list of 10 constitutional changes drawn up by a task force set up by a seven-party opposition alliance, and seen by AFP, is to be presented to Parliament for approval.

Among the proposals are plans to scrap any political role for the monarch and to give the government the right to choose a successor to the throne.

Other proposals include removing the monarch's power to choose the head of the army, taxing the monarch's income and properties, and changing the name of the Royal Nepalese Army to the Nepal Army.

Parliament, suspended for four years, was reinstated after King Gyanendra handed back power at the end of April following weeks of anti-royal protests across the country that left at least 19 dead.

The new Parliament has matched a cease-fire by Maoist rebels and said it will elect a body to redraft the 1990 constitution. The new constitution is expected to cut royal power, a key Maoist demand.

King Gyanendra had sacked the government and took direct control in February 2005. He said the move was needed because political parties had failed to tackle a 10-year Maoist insurgency and were corrupt.

Parties ousted by King Gyanendra formed a loose alliance with the rebels late last year, and the mass protests that saw him forced to climb down were organized by Maoists rebels and the seven party alliance.