About 1,500 supporters of Nepal's humbled King Gyanendra protested against a decision by parliament to abolish the monarchy to push forward a peace deal with Maoist former rebels. The Himalayan nation's provisional parliament last month approved a motion to end the nearly 240-year-old monarchy and turn the country into a republic after constituent assembly elections expected to be held in April. Supporters of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal, a pro-king group, carried placards and chanted "down with the republic" and "long live constitutional monarchy", as they took part in a rally in the capital, Kathmandu. Nepal's once-revered monarchy saw its popularity slump after King Gyanendra took over absolute powers in 2005, only to hand power back to a new government a year later following street protests. The government has since stripped the king of all powers. The humbling of the king saw the government and Maoists, who began fighting the monarchy in 1996, sign a peace pact in 2006 and agree to hold elections for the assembly that will prepare a constitution. Originally the elected assembly was supposed to decide whether to retain the monarchy or turn Nepal into a republic. But last month's parliamentary vote decided to abolish the monarchy -- a step the panel will be obliged to formalise. The decision was part of a deal to resolve a political deadlock with the Maoists, who had been demanding immediate abolition of the monarchy. But the royalists reject the move. The parliament's decision to abolish the monarchy has "snatched the right of the people to decide whether to change to a republic or retain the monarchy", Kamal Thapa, a former member of King Gyanendra's royalist cabinet, told a protest meeting.