Friday, April 14 2006 11:57 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kathmandu: Under sustained pressure from mainstream political parties and Maoists to restore democracy, Nepal's King Gyanendra today (Apr 14, 2006) called for general elections.

"It is our desire that with the active participation of all political parties committed to peace and democracy, a meaningful exercise in multi-party democracy be initiated through an exemplary democratic exercise like the general elections," the king said in his Nepali New Year broadcast.