Nepal: Voters line up to elect members of parl
The main contestants are the ruling alliance led by premier Sher Bahadur Deuba and the opposition headed by ex-PM Khadga Prasad Oli
KATHMANDU: Voters in Nepal lined up on Sunday to elect members of parliament in hopes that a new government would bring political stability and help with the Himalayan nation’s development.
The main contestants in Sunday’s election are the ruling alliance of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s Nepali Congress party and the Maoist communist party against the Nepal Communist Party (United Marxist-Leninist), headed by former PM Khadga Prasad Oli.
Voting started at 7am local time at over 22,000 centres and closed at 5pm.
More than 17.9 million eligible voters will elect a 275-member House of Representatives.
Out of a total of 275 members of parliament, 165 will be elected through direct voting, while the remaining 110 will be elected through a proportional electoral system.
At the same time, voters will also choose representatives to seven provincial assemblies.
Out of a total of 550 members of the provincial assemblies, 330 will be elected directly and 220 will be elected through the proportional method.
Security was stepped up across the country as a separate communist group known for violence in the past called for boycotting the polls and threatened to disrupt the election.
Sunday was declared a national holiday and both private and public vehicles were barred from the streets.
“The new government should be focused on development, it should be able to work, determined to develop the country, who are in touch with the people,” said Ravi Shrestha, 65, a retired government worker who was among the first ones to vote.
Political instability has left Nepal with 13 different governments in the past 16 years. The frequent changes and squabbles among parties have been blamed for a slow economy. Nepalis have seen little change since, with the same generation of leaders holding power through their control of the main political parties.
Many voters say they are tired of the same leaders retaining power and failing to deliver on promises to improve people’s lives while the country makes little progress.
“I am here to make sure that we elect good people who are able to work for the upliftment of the country and who are not corrupt,” said 81-year-old businessman Manik Man Tamrakas.
Election results are likely to take days, if not weeks, as some ballot boxes need to be carried from remote mountain villages. Once all votes are counted, the elected members in parliament will chose a prime minister who will have to get the support of half the total members.