Nepal picks three with reformist credentials for interim cabinet

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By Gopal Sharma

KATHMANDU (Reuters) -Nepal’s interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki unveiled cabinet roles on Monday for three figures with reformist and anti-graft credentials to lead the Himalayan nation after deadly violence led to parliament’s dissolution.

A former chief justice, Karki became the first woman to lead the country last week, after nationwide anti-graft protests killed at least 72 people, and forced the resignation of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli.

The finance ministry will be headed by Rameshwore Prasad Khanal, the president’s office said in a statement, adding that he had been sworn in by President Ramchandra Paudel.

A former finance secretary, Khanal led a panel that recently recommended key economic reforms.

The energy ministry goes to former state power utility chief Kulman Ghising, the office said. When in office, the engineer had combated the scourge of load-shedding in the mountainous nation.

The home (interior) minister will be Om Prakash Aryal, a human rights lawyer and adviser to the mayor of Kathmandu, the capital, who launched legal battles on various issues of public interest.

Nepal’s worst protests in decades were led by the ‘Gen Z’ group opposing widespread corruption. The unrest and acts of arson and vandalism that followed injured more than 2,100.

Karki, 73, who formally took office on Sunday, tasked with holding national elections on March 5, has asked officials to start rebuilding public structures destroyed in the protests.

These included the complex housing the prime minister’s office and other ministries, along with the supreme court and the parliament building. The homes of political party leaders, such as Paudel and Oli, were also targeted.

Also set on fire were shopping malls, hotels and other businesses.

There is no monetary estimate yet of damages.

(Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by Sudipto Ganguly and Clarence Fernandez)