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Eleven ministers from different major political parties were sworn in late Saturday night in Nepali capital Kathmandu. Ministers from Nepali Congress (NC), United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) and Unified Communist Party of Nepal Maoists (UCPN- M) were sworn in during an oath taking ceremony at Shital Niwas in presence of President Ram Baran Yadav. The new government is formed after dissolving the previous cabinet as per a five-point agreement reached amongst the parties to form a national consensus government under Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai. The new cabinet comprises of two Deputy Prime Ministers one of UCPN-M and UDMF. Likewise, there are four ministers from UCPN-M and four from UDMF each. The ministers from UDMF has already been assigned to the portfolios. One member of the UDMF has not yet been sworn in as he is not present in the capital. Similarly two ministers from NC have been nominated. However, they are yet to be assigned to a portfolio. Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) has not yet recommended any names for the ministers. The party was involved in intense discussion until late night on Saturday and said that the names would be announced on Sunday. The portfolios for Home Ministry, Defense Ministry, Health Ministry, Ministry for Physical Planning, Ministry for Information and Communications and Irrigation Ministry belongs to UDMF. As per the agreement, the cabinet will comprise 27 members with six ministers from each political party and two for the smaller political parties. NC, however, recommended only two names owing to the inter-party conflict between two different factions of the party. Meanwhile, the first meeting for the cabinet held after the oath taking ceremony has decided to reconstitute many of the portfolios, while also expressing their deep sorrow over the victims of the natural disaster that struck in Annapurna range and Seti River Saturday morning. This is the first national consensus government formed after the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections in April 2008.

New Cabinet formed in Nepal