Nepal’s top justice takes oath as executive head

Nepal’s sitting Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi on Thursday took oath of office as the chairperson of the Interim Election Council to hold Constituent Assembly elections by 21June. Regmi was sworn in by President Ram Baran Yadav as the head of the interim government as a way out to end the political deadlock since the expiry of the first Constituent Assembly on 27 May last year, reported Xinhua. Regmi further administered the oath of office to two ministers Madhav P Ghimire and Hari P Neupane, who were former secretaries of the government. On Wednesday night, Nepal’s political parties signed a package deal on setting up an interim government under the leadership of sitting Chief Justice Regmi.  The 11-point deal signed by the ruling and opposition parties allows Chief Justice Regmi to hold the second Constituent Assembly elections by 21 June in capacity of the chairperson of the Interim Election Council. The chief justice has to hand over power to the government formed after the elections.