Newly-appointed Prime Minister Sushila Karki has finalized two ministers for her Cabinet.
A source close to Karki said that Rameshore Khanal has been finalized for the position of finance minister and Kulman Ghising for energy minister.
PM Karki initially held phone conversations with them. Later, she called them to Baluwatar for discussions and finalized their appointments, according to the source.
Additionally, Om Prakash Aryal has also been offered a ministerial position. However, Aryal has not yet given his consent. He has said that he would support the government from outside.
Khanal, who will take charge of the Finance Ministry, is a former finance secretary. Some time ago, he submitted a 447-page report to the KP Oli government as the head of the High-Level Economic Reform Recommendation Committee.
He provided concrete suggestions on where the economy's weaknesses lie, why problems arose, what immediate actions need to be taken, and what long-term solutions should be implemented.
Ghising, who will be appointed energy minister, is the former managing director of the Nepal Electricity Authority.
Ghising, who is popular among the general public for having freed Nepal from load-shedding due to his administrative capabilities, was removed from the NEA by the KP Oli government just a few months ago. Hitendra Dev Shakya was appointed as the NEA managing director in his place.
Similarly, Aryal gained popularity after filing a writ petition in the Supreme Court against the appointment of Lokman Singh Karki as the head of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). He has been fighting legal battles on various issues of public interest. He is also the legal advisor to the Kathmandu Metropolitan City.
Aryal was also involved in the discussions with President Ram Chandra Paudel regarding the appointment of Sushila Karki as the head of the interim government. He attended Karki’s oath-taking ceremony as well.
Earlier on Sunday, PM Karki appointed senior advocate Sabita Bhandari as the attorney general.
Since Sunday morning, Karki has intensified efforts to form her Cabinet and begun discussions to that end.
Karki was appointed as the prime minister of an interim government after former prime minister Oli resigned under pressure from the Gen Z movement. She is the first female prime minister in Nepal's history.
Shortly after Karki took the oath as prime minister on Friday night, President Paudel dissolved the House of Representatives and announced fresh elections for March 5, 2026.
