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The 56-year-old communist leader Madhav Kumar Nepal was sworn-in as the new prime minister of Nepal on Monday (May 25). He took the oath of office and secrecy at the head of a three-member cabinet. Madhav Kumar Nepal who succeeded Maoist supremo Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda has to deal with the huge task of drafting a new constitution by next year.
The veteran communist leader was sworn-in by president Ram Baran Yadav in a brief ceremony at Rastrapati Bhawan. After being sworn-in as the PM, Madhav Kumar administered the oath to his tiny cabinet of two. Both the leaders belong to the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML). The two cabinet members who were sworn-in on Monday are Surendra Pandey and Bidya Devi Bhandari. Pandey is a trusted lieutenant while Bidya Devi Bhandari is the widow of charismatic UML leader Madan Bhandari.
The portfolios of the new members have not been decided yet. According to senior Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai, the new the communist-led coalition government will not last more than three months. The Maoists said that the new government will function as a puppet of India. The rebels decided to boycott the new government however; they sent their deputy chief in parliament to attend the oath-taking ceremony.
Prachanda-led previous Nepal government had collapsed after a row with the UML and other allies over sacking the army chief Rookmangud Katawal. Meanwhile, key coalition partners of the new government, the Nepali Congress and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, have not yet decided upon the list of ministers. Madhav Kumar Nepal has pledged to offer good governance and maintain good relations with all foreign governments, including India and China.
