King Gyanendra has issued orders for parliamentary elections to be held in Nepal by April 2007, state-run radio said Wednesday, in line with his pledge when he seized power earlier this year.
"His majesty the king has ordered the election commission to conduct the parliamentary elections before April 2007," the radio reported. Gyanendra, who sacked a four-party government in February for failing to stem a Maoist rebellion, urged political parties to cooperate and take part in the vote, the radio said. But a precise date for the elections to the 205-member house was not set.
The last general elections were held on 1999. Nepal announced Sunday that municipal elections would take place on February 8 next year, 12 months after Gyanendra's power grab.