Preparations underway to form 16-member cabinet, efforts to ensure one-third female representation
We use Google Cloud Translation Services. Google requires we provide the following disclaimer relating to use of this service:
This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, expressed or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.
Senior leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Balendra Shah is being appointed as the Prime Minister on Friday. He is set to take the oath of office and secrecy on Friday itself. The 36-year-old Shah, who was elected from Jhapa-5 in the House of Representatives elections, is set to lead a government with a nearly two-thirds majority.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which has 182 MPs in the 275-member House of Representatives, elected Shah as the leader of the parliamentary party on Thursday. The Office of the President has been informed of this. Article 76 (1) of the Constitution states that ‘the President shall appoint the leader of the parliamentary party with the majority in the House of Representatives as the Prime Minister’ and ‘the Council of Ministers shall be formed under his chairmanship’. The Prime Minister thus appointed will not have to take a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives.
According to a leader of the RSS, there is a plan to form a Council of Ministers of 16, including the Prime Minister. Efforts are being made to increase the representation of women to one-third in it. There are one-third of women MPs in the RSS, 13 directly and 48 through proportional representation. ‘There are preparations to give the Ministry of Tourism and Industry to a single minister. The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development is also being discussed so that a single minister will look after it,' the leader said.
The leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have informed that the president and senior leaders are in constant discussions on issues such as the selection of ministers and the priorities of the initial phase of the government. The second-tier leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have said that the president and senior leaders have not informed other leaders about who will be made ministers. A top leader of the RSS said, 'They are constantly discussing who will become ministers. But there is no way to predict who will be made.'
A meeting has been scheduled for Friday at 7 am to finalize the names of the ministers, including President Lamichhane and senior leader Shah, along with Vice Presidents DP Aryal and Swarnim Wagle. According to the leader, the names of Swarnim Wagle, Shishir Khanal, Sobita Gautam, Indira Rana, Sunil Lamsal, Sasmit Pokharel and others are in the news on the list of ministers. 'It is almost certain that Wagle will be sworn in as the Finance Minister and Khanal as the Foreign Minister. It has not been decided which ministry Lamsal will get among the Home and Physical Infrastructure ministries,' he said. 'Discussions are underway to make Sudhan Gurung, who came from the movement, a minister, but the ministry has not been finalized.'
Preparations are underway to give Sobita Gautam, who was elected through the direct system twice in a row, the responsibility of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. Another leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) informed that discussions are underway to give Pratibha Rawal, who became an MP through the proportional system, the responsibility of a minister this time. 'There is also talk of Sasmit Pokharel,' he said. 'Discussions are underway to make Amresh Kumar Singh, who was elected from Sarlahi-4 after defeating Congress President Gagan Thapa, a minister.'
A meeting has been scheduled for 7 am on Friday to finalize the names of the ministers, including President Lamichhane and senior leader Shah, along with Vice Presidents DP Aryal and Swarnim Wagle.
According to President's Office Spokesperson Ritesh Kumar Shakya, President Ram Chandra Poudel is preparing to appoint Shah as Prime Minister shortly before the scheduled time for the oath-taking. The President's Office has already sent invitations to guests for Shah's oath-taking ceremony as Prime Minister. 'We have sent invitations stating that guests attending the Prime Minister's oath-taking ceremony will be allowed to enter the President's Office from 11 am. The oath-taking ceremony will begin at around 12 pm,' said Spokesperson Shakya.
Vice President Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister Sushila Karki, Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut, National Assembly Speaker Narayan Prasad Dahal, senior member of the House of Representatives Arjun Narsingh KC, ministers, lawmakers, officials of constitutional bodies, distinguished government officials, heads and officers of security organs, heads and officers of foreign diplomatic missions in Nepal, and media persons have been invited to the swearing-in ceremony, the President's Office has informed.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has already sent information to the President's Office that Shah's swearing-in as Prime Minister is scheduled for 12:34 pm on Friday. According to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) General Secretary Kabindra Burlakoti, it has been requested to make arrangements for 'singing of conch shells from 7 conches, recitation of Swasti Shanti from 108 batuks, and recitation of Ashtamangala path by 16 Buddhist monks' at the swearing-in ceremony. After the swearing-in, Shah is scheduled to take office at around 2:15 pm at the Singha Durbar, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Burlakoti informed.
Shah is set to become the country's chief executive within two months of resigning as mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. He became mayor by running as an independent candidate in the 2079 local elections and had signed an agreement with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on December 13. In the House of Representatives elections held on February 21, he defeated former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in Jhapa-5.
Shah was elected unopposed as the leader of the parliamentary party at the central committee and parliamentary party meeting of the RSS on Thursday. The meeting was held after taking the oath of office as an MP at Singha Durbar. After the meeting, RSS MP Sobita Gautam informed that the parliamentary party leader was selected as per the agreement reached between the RSS and Shah on December 13. 'Based on the political agreement reached two months ago, the party had put forward Balendra Shah as the prime ministerial candidate. Converting that consensus into a formal decision, the central committee meeting decided to recommend to the parliamentary party to select the leader of the parliamentary party,' she said. 'The parliamentary party meeting held immediately after that selected Balendra Shah as the leader of the parliamentary party as per the recommendation of the central committee.'
The RSP has not yet decided who will be the minister in the Shah-led government. RSP President Lamichhane and senior leader Shah, along with top leaders, are in continuous discussions to select ministers. In the meeting held at the central office, President Lamichhane had told the lawmakers not to ask for ministerial, parliamentary committee chairperson and other posts. He had urged them to trust the leadership for the selection of ministers.
'After the selection of the parliamentary party leader, the president said, "Don't come and ask for ministers, committee chairpersons and other office bearers like in the old parties, trust the leadership this time, give the leadership the right to elect all office bearers, we all accepted that,' said an MP who attended the meeting.
