Eight Parties divide ministerial portfolios, interim govt. today

The eight major political parties’ meeting on Friday, has reached a consensus to divide ministerial portfolios in the interim government. The much awaited interim government will be announced on Saturday at the meeting of the interim parliament at around 11 am.

After the decade-long insurgency, the CPN- Maoist for the first time would be joining the interim government headed by Maoists spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara.

According to the consensus reached on Friday, NC, CPN-UML and the Maoists will have five ministerial portfolios each, Nepali Congress (Democratic) three and fringe political parties one each.

The prime minister’s post will be from the Nepali Congress (NC) including the ministry of Home, Defence, Finance, Peace and Reconstruction and Science and Technology.

The CPN-UML will bag the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Education, Tourism, Civil Aviation and Culture, General Administration and Agriculture and Cooperatives.

The CPN-Maoist will get Information and Communication, Local Development, Physical Planning and Works, Forest and Soil Conservation and Women, Children and Social Welfare ministries.

The NC-D ministers will be in charge of Water Resources, Labour and Transport Management, and Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs portfolios.

Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi Devi) will get the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply; Janamorcha Nepal will have the Ministry of Health; and United Left Front will have the Ministry of Land Reforms and Management.

There will be 21 ministries including a news ministry of Peace and Reconstruction.

The sources said that there would be no deputy prime minister in the interim government as had been suggested earlier.

Talking to the media persons, UML standing committee member Jhala Nath Khanal said that the leaders would meet on saturday morning again and sign the five documents that would guide the interim government, which includes: policies and programmes, code of conduct for the ministers, working procedures of the council of ministers, commitment to fulfil the understandings and agreements reached earlier between the SPA, the government and the Maoists and a joint mechanism to sort out differences among the eight parties.