Kathmandu, Oct 12: The European Union and Britain on Saturday urged Nepal to hold early elections, a day after the king appointed an interim government ending a week-long political crisis triggered by his sacking of the Deuba government.
"The EU looks forward to an improved condition for peaceful and democratic elections and urges the government to announce quickly new dates for local and general elections," the grouping said in a statement by current EU president Denmark's embassy in Kathmandu.

Besides asking the new government to move ahead on the basis of broad political understanding, it called for bringing the Maoists in the political process through peaceful dialogue.

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King Gyanendra sacked Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba last Friday and appointed a new interim government on Friday heaed by Lokendra Bahadur Chand.

British Parliamentary Under-secretary Mike O'Brien, who met Prime Minister Chand on Friday, urged the new government to announce the date for elections as soon as possible.

"Any action of the Chand government should be in accordance with Nepal's constitution, strengthening multiparty democracy and in the interest of the Nepalese people," a release issued by British Embassy said.

Brien was here in connection with organising the first follow-up meeting of the informal gathering of Nepal's development partners, held in June this year in London.

The international meeting was aimed at providing assistance to Nepal's anti-terror campaign and help in her development endeavours. Bureau Report