Nepal votes to elect new Parliament and provincial Assemblies, counting to start tonight

Political observers closely watching the elections have predicted a hung Parliament and a government that is unlikely to provide the required political stability in Nepal.

Millions of people of Nepal began voting on Sunday to elect a new Parliament and provincial Assemblies amid tight security, hoping to end the political instability that has plagued the country for more than a decade and impeded growth.

The polling started at 7 a.m. local time at over 22,000 polling centres and will close at 5 p.m.

The counting of votes will begin from 9 p.m. on Sunday amid tight security, Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya said.

Speaking to the media after voting from a polling station in Bhaktapur, Mr. Thapaliya said the counting will start at 9 p.m. today after collecting all the ballot boxes.

Mr. Thapaliya said the Commission would announce all the first-past-the-post results in the next eight days while the results of proportional representation elections would be announced by December 8.

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.