CORRECTS - Nepal's president dissolves parliament, polls next year

CORRECTS HIS SPOKESPERSON TO HER SPOKESPERSON IN THE 2ND PARA

By Deepak Adhikari

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AA) - Nepal's President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Sunday dissolved the country's parliament following recommendation from Cabinet and announced general elections next year.

Bhandari approved the Cabinet's recommendation as per Nepal's constitution, her spokesperson Badrinath Adhikari said in a statement.

She also endorsed the Cabinet's proposal to hold general elections in two phases on April 30 and May 10 next year.

Sunday's move followed an escalating factional feud in the ruling Nepal Communist Party, which came to power in February 2018.

The ruling party, which came into being after the merger of former Maoists and a moderate communist faction, garnered a near two-thirds majority in the general elections in late 2017.

But rival leaders in the governing party have displayed deep divisions, causing frustrations among people expecting political stability after years of turmoil.

Constitutional experts say the Himalayan nation's constitution does not have a clear provision for the dissolution of the parliament. The move is expected to be challenged in the country's Supreme Court.

Political observers say Sunday's political development would plunge the country into a political crisis.