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Nepal's newly sworn-in Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Tuesday formed a five-membered cabinet.
Deuba took the oath of office and secrecy this evening. The ceremony was delayed about two hours over the language and format of the appointment letter. President Bidhya Devi Bhandari Bhandari had appointed the Nepali Congress President to position this afternoon without mentioning clauses of the constitution on the basis of which the latter has been assigned to the post. The Office of President issued a letter only this afternoon stating that Deuba has been appointed as next Prime Minister following the order of the Supreme Court. The country's Apex Court on Monday ordered his appointment as prime minister while reinstating the House of Representatives dissolved by his predecessor KP Sharma Oli. Taking oath as Prime Minister succeeding KP Sharma Oli, the new Prime MinisterDeuba has inducted Bal Krishna Khand as Minister for Home Affairs, GyanendraBahadur Karki as Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Pampha Bhusalas Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation and Janardan Sharma asMinister for Finance. Of the new ministers, Khand and Karki represent Deuba's own party- Nepali Congresswhereas Sharma and Bhusal are leaders of the coalition partner, CPN-Maoist Centre. Deuba is expected to give a full shape to the cabinet, also inducting some leaders fromthe Janata Samjbadi Party Nepal, in the next few days. The oath ceremony, scheduled for 6 pm, was delayed by over two hours as Deuba expressed his dissatisfaction with the president over the President's Office statement about his appointment. The statement issued this afternoon had not mentioned the article of the constitution,according to which the premier was appointed. Constitutional experts had objected to the statement and told Deuba not to take the oath. Accordingly, Deuba also objected to the statement and demanded its correction before the oath. Later, the President's Office agreed and made the correction. Meanwhile, outgoing Prime Minister Oli who was removed from the post by Apex Court issuing a mandamus did not attend Tuesday evening's event. No reason has been given for his abstinent. (ANI)
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