Governor Appointment Process Still Uncertain, Recommendation Committee Yet to Meet

Kathmandu – The appointment process for the new Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank remains uncertain as the required meeting of the recommendation committee has yet to be scheduled. Despite expectations that the Cabinet meeting scheduled for 6 PM today would finalize the Governor's appointment, no progress has been made on convening the recommendation committee, according to the Finance Minister’s secretariat.

The secretariat confirmed that it is still unclear whether the recommendation committee will even meet today. The authority to call the meeting rests with the Finance Minister, but no formal meeting has been initiated, and potential candidates’ names have not yet been shared with the committee members. If consensus is not reached among committee members once a name is proposed, the process could be delayed further.

There is ongoing speculation that Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba have reached an agreement to appoint economist Dr. Bishwo Poudel as the next Governor of the central bank.

Previously, Gunakar Bhatta was reportedly proposed for the role, but internal disagreements within the Nepali Congress prevented his appointment. Subsequently, Deuba is said to have pushed for Dr. Poudel’s name as an alternative.

It now remains to be seen whether the Cabinet meeting this evening will conclude with the appointment of the new Governor or if further delays will continue due to a lack of coordination between political consensus and procedural readiness.