Nepal was expected to unveil a new government including Maoist ministers, amid last-minute wrangling over which cabinet posts should go to the former rebels.
KATHMANDU: Nepal was expected to unveil a new government on Friday including Maoist ministers, amid last-minute wrangling over which cabinet posts should go to the former rebels, officials said.
The formation of a new government would be a step forward in the impoverished Himalayan nation's peace process, which is aimed at bringing the Maoists into mainstream politics after a deadly decade-long insurgency.
"There is a high possibility of the formation of the interim government by this evening," Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat said.
The announcement of a new cabinet has been anticipated for several weeks, but several officials and local media said the seven parties in the central government and the Maoists had not yet agreed on who would hold key portfolios.
Reports also said there were ongoing talks on whether to have one or three deputy prime ministers.
"The eight parties are yet to sort out differences on the ministerial portfolios but Friday's meeting is expected to lead to a consensus on these issues," Mahat said.
The Maoists and seven-party government signed a peace deal in November 2006.
The former rebels, who pledged to end violence and register their army with the United Nations, have already been given seats in a new parliament.
A new cabinet will have the task of overseeing crucial elections scheduled for June, when the country will vote for members of a constitutional assembly.
The assembly is then expected to permanently rewrite Nepal's constitution and decide on the fate of embattled King Gyanendra and the monarchy as a whole.
The Maoists are pushing for the country to be declared a republic.
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