KATHMANDU - NEPAL'S Maoists disrupted parliament on Monday, preventing an alliance of 22 political parties that has a majority from forming a new government and ending a political crisis in the young Himalayan republic.

Nepal has been in political turmoil since Maoist Prime Minister Prachanda resigned two weeks ago. Prachanda quit after President Ram Baran Yadav blocked his plan to fire the head of the army, saying the general had refused to accept the supremacy of the civilian government.

The moderate Communist UML party said it had the support of more than 350 members in the 601-seat parliament to form a new government. A date to elect a new prime minister was expected to be announced at the parliamentary sitting on Monday.

But Maoist lawmakers, who account for nearly 40 percent of the parliament, surrounded the rostrum as soon as the House opened for business, demanding the president reverse his move and fire army chief General Rookmangud Katawal.

Senior Maoist deputy Narayan Kaji Shrestha said other political parties must 'discuss and settle' the Maoist demand in the legislature before taking up other business.

'We'll not let the normal proceedings of the House take place without that,' Mr Shrestha said. The Maoists have also organised street protests against the president since Prachanda quit.

'Election of the new prime minister can go ahead if political parties come to a consensus and admit a motion in parliament that the president has acted extra-constitutionally,' Mr Shrestha said, a demand other political parties reject.

The UML has named its former General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal to head the new government.

The Maoists and the army were on opposite sides of a decade-long civil war that caused more than 13,000 deaths. The Maoists ended their conflict under a 2006 peace deal, locked up their arms in containers and confined fighters to U.N. monitored camps.

They were unhappy with Katawal, once seen as loyal to the now deposed monarchy, because he opposed their plans to integrate 19,000 former guerrillas into the army. -- REUTERS