KATHMANDU, April 13 (Reuters) - Nepal's Election Commission said on Friday there was not enough time to hold elections for a constituent assembly in June, insisting on more time to prepare for a vote which is a cornerstone of the peace process. The multi-party government and former Maoist rebels signed a peace deal in November to end a decade-long insurgency, and agreed to hold an election in June for an assembly meant to draw up a new constitution and map the country's political future. The Maoists want the assembly to fulfil one of their central demands by abolishing the monarchy, and have warned that delays to the vote would provoke a "grave political crisis" by giving royalists an opportunity to sabotage the vote and peace process. But on Friday, the commission said the law and order situation was not stable enough and the necessary legislation was still not ready for the vote to take place. "We need at least 110 days before the polling day, even after necessary laws concerning the election are in place," commission chief Bhoj Raj Pokharel told reporters. Violent protests have erupted this year on Nepal's southern plains, where at least 58 people have been killed in unrest and in protests called by the ethnic Madhesi people who complain that they have been sidelined by the peace process. On April 1, the Maoists joined an interim government, while political parties also announced the assembly elections would be held on June 20. "Technically it is not possible to hold the election in June," Pokharel said, adding the panel had already informed the government of its view. He said the government should immediately announce a suitable new date. Officials said Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala was scheduled to meet Maoist chief Prachanda and other leaders of the ruling alliance on Friday to discuss the issue. Analysts say if the vote does not take place in June, it would have to be delayed until October or November, until after the monsoon season which makes many hilly areas inaccessible. The election would cap the peace process with the Maoists that began last year, ending a civil war which killed more than 13,000 people. Some analysts said the delay was expected. "Political parties, mainly the prime minister and the Maoist chief will need to do a lot of explaining why they failed to bring about the necessary legislations on time," said Yubaraj Ghimire, editor of the weekly magazine, Samay.
