KP Oli the 38th Prime Minister of Nepal

The new prime minister will also have to mend ties with giant influential neighbour India which, anxious about instability on the border, has expressed concerns over the constitution.

The adoption of the new constitution triggered deadly protests and a stifling border blockade. The Nepali Congress led by Sushil Koirala, which is the largest party in the House, will be sitting in the opposition.

A few analysts say the conservative Mr Oli will be less able than Mr Koirala to reach out to the disaffected Madhesi community of southern Nepal who oppose the new constitution. Nepal’s 598 members of parliament will select the nation’s new prime minister on Sunday, October 11, selecting between Koirala & Oli.

“There are groups that are dissatisfied with the constitution”.

“We are confident that the Government of Nepal will address the remaining political issues confronting the country in a spirit of dialogue and reconciliation”, the Indian statement said. But at the last moment, a few Madhesi lawmakers broke ranks with the pro-blockade leaders of their front and voted for Mr. Oli.

The new prime minister is also expected to bring Nepal back on its feet after a devastating quake killed over 8,800 people and destroyed close to 600,000 homes in April.

Kharel has been appointed as the Minister for Law, Justice, Constituent Assembly & Parliamentary Affairs, while Gajurel as Minister for Agricultural Development.

Nepal’s Prime Minister Sushil Koirala on Saturday filed his nomination for re-election, a day before the parliament of the troubled Himalayan nation elects a new premier.

However, another lowland group said it would not take its seats in the newly formed parliament and would keep protesting.

Oli was released in 1987, and became a key member of the Nepal Communist Party-Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML).

Madhesi protesters have blocked the main border point with India for two weeks, stopping cargo trucks with fuel and other essential supplies from entering Nepal.