Kathmandu, Oct. 5 (Reuters): Nepal’s elections for an Assembly to draw up a new Constitution have been delayed after the ruling coalition failed today to break a political deadlock with Maoist former rebels.

The delay is a major blow to last November’s peace deal that ended the Maoists’ decade-long civil war against the monarchy — a revolt that caused more than 13,000 deaths. “We were compelled to change the election date because of the Maoists, who let us down,” peace and reconstruction minister Ram Chandra Poudel said.

The Maoists say they remain committed to democracy and will not return to insurgency. But it was unclear when the election, scheduled for November 22, would be held. Poudel said it could be in March or April.

The election was a key demand of the Maoists during their civil war. But they wanted the Assembly to abolish the monarchy ahead of polls and give them what they had been fighting for since 1996 — a republic.

The Maoists walked out of the government last month, after the other political parties opposed fresh demands to abolish the monarchy ahead of the elections and introduce full proportional representation.

Analysts say the Maoists’ decision to leave the government highlighted the growing pains of rebels who spent years in the jungles of Nepal but now face the possibility of losing an election as they enter the mainstream.