DEUBA SWORN IN AS NEW PM OF NEPAL, FORMS SMALL CABINET

KATHMANDU: Veteran politician Sher Bahadur Deuba was sworn in as Nepal’s new prime minister on Wednesday and formed a small cabinet with seven members.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to Deuba, 70, during a function at the President’s Office. This will be his fourth stint in the top post.

He chose seven ministers three each from the Nepali Congress and CPN-Maoist Centre and one from the Nepal Loktantrik Forum.

Gopal Man Shrestha of the Nepali Congress was appointed deputy prime minister and minister for education. Gyanendra Bahadur Karki and Farmullah Mansoor were appointed as finance minister and labour minister respectively.

Krishna Bahadur Mahara of CPN-Maoist Centre was appointed deputy prime minister and foreign minister. CPN-MC leader Janardan Sharma was appointed home minister and Prabhu Sah was appointed as a minister without portfolio.

Nepal Loktantrik Forum chairman Bijay Kumar Gachhadar was appointed deputy prime minister and minister for federal affairs and local development.

Deuba, also president of the Nepali Congress, returned to power on Tuesday, 12 years after he was unceremoniously removed by then King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah.

He received 388 votes during voting in the 593-member Parliament. A total of 558 lawmakers voted in the prime ministerial election, with Deuba being the lone candidate. He was backed by former premier Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda’s CPN-MC, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal.