At a time when the Congress-Maoist coalition is struggling to expand the Cabinet, the Inter-Party Women Alliance has demanded appointment of one-third female ministers.

The IPWA, a cross-party alliance of women leaders, met Prime Minister Puspha Kamal Dahal in Baluwatar on Friday and handed over their demands. The current nine-member council of ministers has no female minister.

In their letter, the female leaders urged the PM to ensure at least one third female ministers in the new Cabinet. The letter also requests the government to follow the constitutional provision of one third women representation while making appointments to constitutional bodies, diplomatic agencies and other state positions.

Sabitra Bhusal, vice-president of the alliance, said that PM Dahal was receptive of their concerns. The prime minister had reminded them of the election of the country’s first female President and Speaker.

Earlier, women rights activists and sister organisations of various political parties had appealed to the leaders of the Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Centre) to ensure their representation as guaranteed by the constitution. They had also accused women leaders of not speaking up for their rights.

Past records show that female representation in the Cabinet has been low. The previous Cabinet of KP Sharma Oli had just two female ministers—Rekha Sharma (General Administration) and Shanta Manavi (Livestock Development) and one state minister—Kunti Kumari Shahi (Federal Affairs and Local Development). The Sushil Koirala government had three female ministers—Radha Gyawali (Energy), Chitra Lekha Yadav (Education) and Neelam KC (Women, Children and social Welfare).