Nepal's King Gyanendra has said he will end his direct rule of the country and hand back power to political parties. "Executive power of the kingdom of Nepal, which was in our safekeeping, shall from this day be returned to the people," he said in a speech broadcast on Nepal television on Friday. He called for "a meaningful exercise in democracy" with elections "as soon as possible". "We therefore request the seven-party alliance to recommend at the earliest a name for the post of prime minister who will have the responsibility to run the government," he said. "We are committed to multi-party democracy and to constitutional monarchy," said the grim-faced monarch, who spoke slowly and wore a traditional topi hat. "We hope peace and order is restored in the country."