Nepal cabinet formation delayed

The Prime Minister literally vetoed the CPN-UML8217;s demand for the number two position saying it must belong to his Congress party, along with the defence, home and finance ministries. The interim constitution envisages that the second most-senior cabinet minister will step into the prime minister8217;s shoes in case of the latter8217;s latter8217;s resignation, incapacitation or death. The CPN-UML proposed 79-year-old Sahana Pradhan for the number two position.

Koirala, on the other hand, backed Nepal Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel.

The delay means that Koirala will need to resign and take oath again tomorrow as interim Prime Minister under the new constitution. And as a result of this, the foreign minister could not leave for Delhi for talks preceding the SAARC summit, either.