Swearing in of Koirala as Nepal PM postponed

Kathmandu, Apr 28: Uncertainty continues to prevail over Girija Prasad Koirala's installation as the Prime Minister of Nepal following another postponement of the swearing in ceremony till late evening.

Earlier, the octogenarian leader was to be sworn in by King Gyanendra at the Narayanhity Palace at 0930 hrs local time which was deferred to 1100 hrs.

At his residence, Mr Koirala's political advisor Dr Suresh Chalise told UNI that the swearing in had been postponed again and was likely to be held in the late evening. However, sources in the Nepali Congress said that it was possible that the swearing in programme might be totally cancelled today in view of Mr Koirala's ill health.

However, Dr Chalise, while denying that ill health was responsible for the repeated postponement, said Mr Koirala's condition was much better today but he did not give any reason for the postponement.

King Gyanendra had appointed Mr Koirala as the Prime Minister yesterday under art 36(1) of the 1990 Constitution after receiving official intimation from the seven-party alliance and the Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party of his unanimous election to the post.

Mr Koirala could not attend yesterday's mass rally because of ill health nor did he attend yesterday morning's parliamentary meeting of the Nepali Congress which had unanimously elected him as the leader.

Mr Koirala'a absence at yesterday's mass rally received an immensely angry response from the assembled people who continuously hooted Nepali Congress Vice President Sushil Koirala forcing him to cut short his speech though Nepal Bar Association President Shambhu Thapa and others tried to pacify the crowd, they were not successful and it was only CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal who could quieten the crowd.

UNI

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