Kathmandu, Oct 04: Nepal's king Gyanendra is to announce later today a decision on a request by the government to postpone parliamentary elections by a year, a cabinet source said. "The king is continuing hectic consultations with legal experts. He has to announce the official decision within hours," the source said, clarifying an earlier radio report.

The government had sent a letter to Gyanendra yesterday saying the "deteriorating law-and-order situation" in the country required a delay in the vote which had been scheduled to take place between November 13 and January 10. Gyanendra, on Deuba's advice, dissolved the 205-member Parliament in May and called the elections two years ahead of schedule.

But the decision has faced increasing resistance from opposition parties, who say elections cannot be held freely and fairly when Maoist rebels waging a violent six-year insurgency have vowed to disrupt the polls.

Bureau Report