Parties seal the deal: new cabinet today; CA polls on June 20

A meeting of the top leaders of the eight-party alliance held at PM Girija Prasad Koirala’s residence at Baluwatar today agreed to announce a new government today and hold constituent assembly elections on June 20.

The meeting agreed to announce the new interim government before the PM leaves for SAARC Summit later today after CPN-UML gave in to NC demand for second most senior portfolio for its candidate, Ram Chandra Poudel, in the new government. Now, UML’s Pradhan will be the third most senior member of the new cabinet after the PM and NC’s Poudel.

The leaders also signed five different mechanisms, including the common minimum programme and code of conduct to be followed by new ministers, to run the interim government efficiently.

According to NSP leader Anil Kumar Mandal, who took part in the meeting, the eight-party decisions will be presented in and passed by today’s meeting of the legislative parliament.

The PM will then dissolve the current government and tender his resignation in the parliament meeting. The parliament will reappoint him as the new PM and he will take the oath of office before announcing a new 26-member cabinet. He will then administer the oath of office to new ministers. Koirala will leave for New Delhi for SAARC summit later today.

Earlier today, a meeting of the standing committee of the CPN-UML decided to give in to NC stance. NC has proposed Ram Chandra Poudel as the second most senior minister in the new cabinet. Earlier, UML had proposed Sahana Pradhan for the same.

The parties had failed to form the new government yesterday despite their earlier claims that they would announce it the same day after NC objected to UML’s nomination of Sahana Pradhan as the second in position after the PM.

Meanwhile, Nepali Congress has finalized names of its members in the new government. PM Koirala himself will hold the defence portfolio. Krishna Prasad Sitaula and Ram Saran Mahat will remain Home Minister and Finance Minister respectively in the new government as well. Ram Chandra Poudel and Mahantha Thakur will be new NC ministers in the government and they will hold Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction and Ministry of Science and Technology.

Likewise, NC-D has decided to keep Narendra Bikram Nemwang, Ramesh Lekhak and Gyanendra Bahadur Karki in the new cabinet. After NC-D lost a ministerial seat in the power-sharing deal, Minister Gopal Man Shrestha will not get a seat in the new cabinet.