The NC and the UML have appealed to him not to endorse the election date.

ECONOMIST: Gridlock over a new constitution leaves a power vacuum

The UML and NC both expected to win the country's first post-war election last year.

ECONOMIST: The peace process still on life-support

But General Katawal, egged on by the NC, UML and India, has resisted this.

ECONOMIST: The peace process still on life-support

He argues the CPN-UML is pro business with more socialist than communist leanings.

FORBES: Himalayan Vistas

Reports suggest that two opposition parties, the Nepali Congress (NC) and the Unified Marxist Leninists (UML), refused a compromise offered by ethnic groups.

ECONOMIST: Gridlock over a new constitution leaves a power vacuum

That ruling was welcomed by the NC and UML. As the minutes ticked down on May 27th, the Maoists called their bluff and announced elections in November.

ECONOMIST: Gridlock over a new constitution leaves a power vacuum