KATMANDU, Sept. 12 -- Nepal's King Birendra Tuesday announced the formation of a coalition government to replace the communist administration that collapsed over the weekend. 'Political stability will be my first priority,' Deuba told reporters at his office shortly after chairing his first Cabinet meeting. 'The government will bee expanded gradually.' 'I will try to be a prime minister of the people and try to give an impartial administration.' Deuba also visited ailing, ousted Prime Minister Man Mohan Adhikari, 74, who is recovering from injuries sustained in a helicopter crash last month. Indian Prime Minister P.V. Narsimha Rao, Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Bhutanese King Jigme Singhe Wangchun were the first South Asian leaders to offer their cooperation to Deuba, official national news agency said. The five member Cabinet is headed by Nepali Congress Party leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, who was named prime minister Monday. A parliamentary vote of no-confidence Sunday brought down the 9- month-old minority communist government of Prime Minister Man Mohan Adhikari. The new government is based on a fragile coalition of the leading opposition Nepali Congress Party, the Rashtriya Prajantantra Party, the Nepal Sadvabana Party and independents, which together account for 107 of the 205 parliamentary seats. Three of the five Cabinet ministers belong to the Nepali Congress Party, one to the Rashtriya Prajantantra Party and one to the Nepal Sadvabana Party. But political observers believe the disparate policies of the three parties are likely to make for an unstable alliance.
The Nepali Congress Party fought the 30-year absolute rule of King Birendra and his father, while the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party supported the monarchy. The regionally-based Nepal Sadvabana Party's primary concern has been the promotion of the interests of ethnic Indian Nepalese and advocacy of Hindi as a national language. Press reports said the coalition partners opted to form a small government to avoid bickering and a possible rift before obtaining a vote of confidence in parliament, which the new government is required to conduct within 30 days. In one of his first remarks after being appointed prime minister Monday night, Deuba said he plans to act cautiously with the new coalition partners. 'We have agreed to move ahead on the basis of consultations and coordination,' the leader said. 'I am confident that this will happen. ' Prior to the communists taking power last year, Nepal had embarked on an economic liberalization program similar to that undertaken in India. Deuba said his government would renew those policies. 'A liberal market economy will meet the present need to integrate our economy with the global economy,' the government said in a policy statement. 'We will maintain liberal market-oriented and competitive fiscal policies.' 'Individual freedom and human rights will be duly respected,' Nepal's new government said. The official statement also addressed foreign policy for the country that is sandwiched between Asian giants India and China. 'We will promote friendly relations with all nations, especially India and China, based on mutual understanding and cooperation, giving utmost emphasis to national interest,' Deuba said. In a harsh attack on the outgoing government, the statement said that, 'In the last nine months, authoritarian tendencies had been increasing against the principles and values of the constitution of the kingdom of Nepal.'
