"The cabinet meeting on Sunday decided to hold the constituent assembly elections on November 22," government spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara told reporters.

The vote for a body to rewrite Nepal's constitution had been set for June 20, but Nepal's top election official repeatedly said more time was needed to prepare.

The elections will decide the future of Nepal's embattled monarch King Gyanendra, who has been stripped of most of his powers after being forced to end a much-criticised 14-month period of authoritarian rule last April.

Nepal's former rebel Maoists ended their decade-long civil war late last year and have been given five ministerial portfolios in the new government.

The fiercely anti-monarchy Maoists want the interim government to declare a republic before the polls and parliament has authorised such a step if the king attempts to interfere in politics ahead of the election.

Nepal's chief election official hailed the announcement.

"We welcome this agreement and now this political decision should be backed up swiftly," election commissioner Bhojraj Pokharel told AFP.

The commission had recently finished updating Nepal's electoral register, and about 17.6 million of the 27 million population were now registered to vote, Pokharel said.

"The government also needs to improve peace and security in order to create a stable environment to hold the polls," Pokharel said.