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Lokendra Bahadur Chand named Nepal PM

Nepal's King Gyanendra on Friday announced a nine-member cabinet, with Lokendra Bahadur Chand as the new prime minister.

The announcement came a week after he sacked Sher Bahadur Deuba and his cabinet.

A statement issued by the palace said the king "assigned the prime minister and his council to maintain law and order in the country and hold elections as early as possible".

Gyanendra also appointed Badri Prasad Mandal of the Nepal Sadbhawana Party as deputy prime minister. The NSP represents the marginalized Madhesiya communities living in the southern Terai belt, near the Indo-Nepal border.

Chand took the oath of office at a special function held at the Narayanhiti Royal Palace on Friday evening.

With this, he holds the cabinet's topmost portfolio for the fourth time. He was first appointed as prime minister in 1983, then again in 1990. He also headed a coalition government from 1998 to 1999.

Talking briefly to journalists after the appointment, Chand said he would accord top priority to maintaining peace in the country. "I am open [for talks]," he added when asked about resumption of peace talks with rebel Maoists.

Chand said he would expand the size of the cabinet after consulting other major political parties.

The cabinet announcement came hours after the Gyanendra met leaders of six political parties who had stubbornly sought a meeting with him after the Deuba government was sacked.

The king, avoided political leaders after the dismissal of the Deuba government, decided to appoint Chand after separately meeting the leaders of the six parties --- Badri Prasad Mandal, Girija Prasad Koirala of the Nepali Congress, Madhav Kumar Nepal of the Congress Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist, Surya Bahadur Thapa of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Narayanman Bijukchhe of the Nepal Workers and Peasants' Party and Amik Serchan of the People's Front of Nepal.

The absence of representatives of most parties from the cabinet has been the major bone of contention for some leaders, who have called for an expansion of the cabinet.

"The face of the new cabinet has proved that the king's move was wrong," said Bimalendra Nidhi of the Nepali Congress. "It shows that the king has not yet returned his executive powers, [which he declared he had assumed after dismissing Deuba]."

However, a palace announcement said that the decision to form the new cabinet was in the interest of multi-party democracy and constitutional monarchy. Gyanendra formed the new cabinet under article 127 of the constitution, which empowers the monarch to remove difficulties.

The leaders of CPN-UML and the RPP welcomed the new cabinet. "That His Majesty has appointed our party's member as the new head of the state is a matter of glory and great dignity for us," remarked RPP general secretary Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani.

Meanwhile, soon after the formation of the new cabinet, five members of the National Planning Commission -- Dr Narayan Khadka, Prakash Sharan Mahat, Mrinendra Rijal, Dr Shankar Sharma and Dr Jagadish Pokharel --- tendered their resignation. Dueba had appointed Sharma and Pokhareal members of the commission.

The List of the New Cabinet

1. Lokendra Bahadur Chand: Prime minister
He will also hold the portfolios of palace affairs, defence, forest and soil conservation, general administration, land reforms, works transport, water resources, information and communication, labour, population and environment

2. Badri Prasad Mandal: Deputy prime minister
Will also look after agriculture cooperatives, local development

3. Dr Badri Prasad Shrestha:
Finance, education culture and sport

4. Narendra Bikram Shah:
Foreign affairs

5. Dharma Bahadur Thapa:
Home, law justice and parliamentary affairs

6. Gore Bahadur Khapangi:
Women, children and social welfare

7. Dr Upendra Devkota:
Health, science and technology

Assistant Ministers:

8. Anuradha Koirala:
Women and social welfare

9. Gopal Dahit:
Population and environment

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