Nepal politics have been going through twists and turns. Supreme Court Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi has been sworn in as the country’s new Prime Minister replacing Baburam Bhattarai. The interim government under Regmi will hold elections to the Constituent Assembly by June 21 but it may be postponed till mid-November. Regmi will head an 11 member government of which eight ministers will be nominated by four major political parties. All the ministers will have to be retired civil servants—joint secretary and above. No active politicians will be taken in. The four parties have cleared the decks for forming the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate cases of human rights violation by the state as well as Maoists during the civil war. There will be general amnesty granted to violators. The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) has protested against entrusting executive responsibility to the head of the judiciary as it will undermine the multiparty system.
Regmi will not be allowed to continue as Chief Justice but his election has upset the balance of power. The political parties had failed to find a head of a ‘unity’ government to resolve differences between them. Regmi will go back to his judicial position after the polls are over. However, the four major political parties will continue to rule and Opposition parties have agreed on forming a mechanism to help the new government. The objective is to create a suitable atmosphere for the elections to be held. Issues such as citizenship, voters list and rank determination of Maoist combatants joining the Nepal army have been sorted out. The experiment in Nepal resembles the formation of a caretaker government headed by the Chief Justice before the parliamentary elections in Bangladesh. What clout the Nepal army will have in the interim period is not however clear.