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Lokendra Bahadur Chand named Nepal PM

Former prime minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand, a palace loyalist, was on Friday appointed head of a new interim government in Nepal.

The move comes a week after King Gyanendra summarily sacked the Sher Bahadur Deuba government and assumed all executive powers.

Chand, 62, head of the Rashtriya Prajatantrik Party, was prime minister between 1983 and 1985, and briefly again in 1997.

Badri Prasad Mandal of the pro-India Nepal Sadbhavana Party has been appointed deputy prime minister in the nine-member Cabinet formed by the king.

A statement issued by the palace said the king "assigned the prime minister and his council to maintain law and order in the country and hold elections as early as possible".

The king, who has been avoiding political leaders after the dismissal of the Deuba government, decided to appoint Chand after holding separate meetings with leaders of the six major political parties --- Girija Prasad Koirala, Madhav Kumar Nepal, Surya Bahadur Thapa, Badri Prasad Mandal, Narayanman Bijukchhe and Amik Serchan.

Chand will also hold the portfolios of palace affairs, defence, forestry and soil conservation, general administration, land reform and management, public works, tourism, civil aviation, culture, water resources, information and communications, population and environment, industry and commerce and supply, labour, and transport management.

Deputy Prime Minister Mandal has been given the portfolios of agriculture, and co-operative and local development.

Narendra Bikram Shah has been entrusted with the foreign ministry, while Badri Prasad Shreshtha will hold finance, education, and sports.

Dharma Bahadur Thapa has been given charge of the home ministry, law, and parliamentary affairs.

Gore Bahadur Khapang is the minister for women's and children's affairs, and social welfare.

Upendra Devkota has been allocated the ministries of health, and science and technology.

Gopal Dixit has been named assistant minister for population and environment.

The king's decision to meet the party leaders followed hectic deliberations by Western diplomats in Kathmandu, who have stressed the need for unity between the king and the political parties in the face of growing Maoist threats.

The United States on Thursday urged King Gyanendra to respect Nepal's constitution, after the monarch missed a self-imposed deadline to appoint an interim government.

After assuming office, the new prime minister, on state television, said his government would give top priority to establishing peace and order in the country and holding general elections as soon as possible in a free and fair manner.

Hinting at expanding the present Cabinet, Chand said, "I will seek the cooperation of all political parties."

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