By Xinhua
Kathmandu : A cabinet meeting held on Sunday morning has endorsed the names of seven Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN-M) leaders recommended to the post of five ministers and two state ministers in the coalition government.
According to a report from the leading website eKantipur.com, CPN-M Chairman Prachanda had submitted a list of their ministerial candidates to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on Saturday.
They include four old faces led by party spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara, and they are likely to retain their previous portfolios.
Mahara would be the minister for information and communications.
Dev Gurung, Hisila Yami and Matrika Prasad Yadav would retain local development, physical planning and works and forest portfolios, respectively, the report said.
They are due to be sworn in on Monday, a government source was quoted by the website as saying.
Four of the CPN-M ministers resigned from their posts on Sept. 18 to show their disagreement over announcing Nepal a republic before the Constituent Assembly election as well as with the electoral system.
With the signing of a 23-point agreement by the seven-party alliance last Sunday, the CPN-M will immediately rejoin the council of ministers.