Kathmandu (TIP): Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” was on December 26 sworn in as the Prime Minister of Nepal for a third time, a day after the former guerrilla leader dramatically walked out of the pre-poll alliance led by the Nepali Congress and joined hands with opposition leader K P Sharma Oli.

The 68-year-old CPN-Maoist Centre chairman was appointed as the country’s new prime minister on Sunday after he submitted a letter to President Bidya Devi Bhandari showing the support of 169 members in the 275-member House of Representatives.

Prachanda took the oath of office and secrecy from President Bhandari at an official ceremony at Shital Niwas on Monday. President Bhandari also administered the oath to other Cabinet members of the new coalition government. The new Cabinet has three deputy prime ministers – Bishnu Paudel from Oli’s CPN-UML, Narayan Kaji Shrestha from CPN-Maoist Centre and Rabi Lamichhane from Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).

Paudel has been assigned Finance ministry, while Shrestha got Physical Infrastructure and Transport and Lamichhane Home Ministry.

Jwala Kumari Sah, Damodar Bhandari and Rajendra Kumar Rai — all three from Oli’s CPN-UML — have been made ministers. Janamat Party’s Abdul Khan was also appointed as a minister.

Despite getting appointed prime minister with an overwhelming majority, Prachanda will now have to win a vote of trust from the lower house within 30 days. (PTI)