Former premier Lokendra Bahadur Chand, a palace loyalist, was on Friday appointed head of the new interim government in Nepal, a week after King Gyanendra, dismissed the government of Sher Bahadur Deuba and assumed all executive powers.Badri Prasad Mandal of pro-India Nepal Sadbhavana Party has been appointed the Deputy Prime Minister in the nine-member Cabinet formed by the king. One of the king’s relatives and Nepal’s former Ambassador to UN Narendra Bikram Shah has been named as Foreign Minister while Badri Prasad Shreshtha, an economist, will be the Finance Minister.A statement issued by the palace said the king ‘‘assigns the Prime Minister and his council of ministers to maintain law and order in the country and hold elections as early as possible.’’ Leader of Rashtriya Prajatantrik Party, 62-year-old Chand, had served briefly as the PM in 1977 and also between 1983 and 1985.The king decided to appoint Chand as Prime Minister after holding separate meetings with leaders of the six major political parties. (PTI)
