NEPALI CONGRESS: NEPOTISM ALIVE AND WELL

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 002264

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SA/INS
NSC FOR GREEN
LONDON FOR POL: BELL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2015
TAGS: PGOV NP
SUBJECT: NEPALI CONGRESS: NEPOTISM ALIVE AND WELL

REF: KATHMANDU 1935

Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b/d).

6 Koirala Relatives Members of NC Central Committee
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1. (C) On October 18, Nepali Congress (NC) Party President
Girija Prasad Koirala appointed 18 members of the 36-member
NC Party Central Working Committee. On September 1, NC Party
members had elected the other 18 members of the Committee,
and re-elected GP Koirala as Party President (reftel). Six
Koirala relatives are now members of the NC Central Working
Committee. GP Koirala appointed cousin Sushil Koirala, who
had recently resigned his General Secretary post, as Party
Vice-President, the second highest post in the party. Kul
Bahadur Gurung will fill the vacated post, the first ethnic
community member to be NC General Secretary. GP Koirala also
appointed Ms. Suprabha Ghimire, a Tribuvan University
teacher, and Padma Narayan Chaudhary, the first ethnic Tharu,
to the Central Working Committee. He reappointed Govind Raj
Joshi to the Committee despite Joshi's links to corruption
which lost him an elected Committee seat in September. GP
Koirala also appointed his daughter, Sujata Koirala, as Chief
of the Foreign Relations Department. (Note: Sujata is widely
viewed as corrupt and somewhat out of touch with the issues
on the ground. End note.)

Comment
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2. (C) Following the party convention where GP Koirala
managed to retain power and accommodate the growing
republican sentiment of his party, he continues to
consolidate power by ensuring family members hold key NC
posts.
MORIARTY