Nepal delays polls, new date today

The Nepal government has postponed Constituent Assembly elections slated for June 20. A new date will be decided tomorrow, a senior minister said on Saturday.

A meeting of leaders of the eight political parties, including Prime Minister GP Koirala and Maoist chief Prachanda, scheduled to take place at the Prime Minister’s residence will decide the new election date, said Minister for Peace and Rehabilitation Ramchandra Poudyal.

The polls were postponed after the Election Commission sent a letter to the government expressing its inability to conduct the elecions on June 20, saying it needs at least 110 days for preparations and the current security situation was not satisfactory.