KATHMANDU, June 13: After three weeks of hectic negotiations, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and the Nepali Congress on Saturday finalized the allocation of ministerial portfolios in the new cabinet.
A meeting held between Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and NC President Girija Prasad Koirala at the latter´s residence at Maharajgunj agreed in principle to six ministries for each of the two parties. [break]
While the UML is to have the four ministries of home, defense, finance and information and communication the NC has agreed to accept the portfolios of water resources, local development, health, labor and transport and foreign affairs as per the fresh agreement reached between the two major coalition partners, according to NC leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula.
Two ministries for the UML and one ministry for NC are yet to be finalized, said a senior UML leader asking to be unnamed. The names of the ministries in their shares will be finalized after negotiations with coalition partners.
Sitaula said that the two parties have agreed to split the Ministry of Water Resource to give NC seven ministries in total as the UML also has seven portfolios including that of prime minister. It is likely that the ministry will be split into a Ministry of Energy and a Ministry of Irrigation later this month.
UML leader Bidya Bhandari and Surendra Pandey have already assumed the portfolios of defense and finance respectively. Six of the five NC ministers (other than Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala) sent into the cabinet have remained without portfolios so far.
The top leaders of the two parties have agreed to finalize the names of the rest of the ministries by Sunday morning and administer oath of office to the ministers with their portfolios in the afternoon, Raghuji Panta told media persons after the meeting.
Meanwhile, the UML has finalized the names of ministers from that party.
According to a standing committee member of the party, the UML has decided to send Shankar Pokharel, Bhim Rawal and Rabindra Shrestha and either Rakam Chemjong or Raghubir Mahaseth. Rijwan Ansari, Dilli Mahat and Jitu Gautam Darji are among the likely choices for state ministers from the party, the member said.
An UML source said it is confirmed that Bhim Rawal will assume the home portfolio and Shankar Pokharel, information and communication.
Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and the UML chairman finalized the names for ministers Friday evening after a central committee meeting of the UML earlier in the day entrusted the duo with that responsibility.
Two other ministers -- Deepak Bohora of Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Dambar Sherstha of Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist Leninist) -- will also be sworn in on Sunday. One of them will get the the Ministry of Forests and the other, Ministry or Land Reform and Management.
Earlier, the NC had staked its claim to the defense ministry. However, the party was forced to give in as the UML insisted on keeping that ministry after Bidya Bhandari declined any ministry except defense or home.
Prime Minister Nepal and senior UML leader K P Sharma Oli had asked NC President Koirala on Saturday to give up the demand for the defense ministry as they were unable to give the home ministry to Bhandari, according to a senior NC leader.
The ruling NC and UML are scheduled to hold a meeting with Madhes-based parties -- Madhesi People´s Rights Forum, Tarai Madhes Democratic Party and Sadbhawana Party -- on Sunday morning to finalize the sharing of ministries.
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