Koirala forms 22 member cabinet, includes Maoists

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Kathmandu, Apr 1 (UNI) Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala today formed a 22-member interim cabinet which includes five ministers from the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).

This is the first time the rebels who had launched a bloody insurgency in 1996, demanding the replacement of the autocratic rule of the King with a republican form of government, have formed the government.

Prime Minister Koirala will retain charge of the defence portfolio, while Ram Chandra Paudyal (Nepali Congress) will be the second most senior minister in the council of ministers (17 cabinet ministers and five ministers of state) and take charge of the portfolio of the recently created Peace and Reconstruction Ministry.

Krishna Bahadur Mahara of the Maoists is the new Information and Communication minister while Dev Gurung, Hisila Yami, Matrika Yadav and Khadga Bahadur Bishwakarma, of the same party, are Local Developent, Forest, Physical Planning and Works and Women and Social Welfare ministers respectively.

The Nepali Congress has retained the Defence, Home and Finance ministries while Sahana Pradhan of the CPN, UML will be the new foreign minister in the interim cabinet.

Home Minister Krishna Sitaula and Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat have retained their portfolios.

Rajendra Mahato of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party (A) will be the new Industry and Commerce minister.

In total, the new cabinet includes five members each from the Nepali Congress and Maoists, six from the CPN, UML and four from the Nepali Congress (Democratic) and one each from the Nepal Sadbhavana Party (A) and United Left Front.

The leaders of the seven parties have agreed to limit the number of cabinet members to 26.

The parties have also decided to hold the Constituent Assembly elections on June 20 this year, through which the future of the unpopular monarchy, which is suspended in the new interim constitution -- will be decided.

UNI

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