Nepal's Cabinet asked King Gyanendra on Thursday to delay national elections scheduled for November by a year due to mounting Maoist violence that has threatened to derail the vote. ‘‘The Cabinet has recommended to the king to order fresh elections on November 19, 2003,’’ a senior Cabinet minister said after a four-hour Cabinet meeting.He said PM Sher Bahadur Deuba was expected to meet the king on Thursday and convey the Cabinet decision, adding: ‘‘We hope a royal order will be issued today or tomorrow.’’ The king’s approval is seen as a formality under the country’s constitutional monarchy, although it is not guaranteed.
