Nepal polls record 67% turnout in phase 2

Counting of votes begins in most areas

A Nepali voter casts his ballot at a polling station during the second round of general elections in Kathmandu on Thursday.

Nepal on Thursday registered 67% voter turnout in the last phase of the historic provincial and parliamentary elections. This was slightly above from the first phase when 65% voters had exercised their franchise on November 26.

The counting of votes has also started in most of the districts following an all-party meeting.

Largely peaceful

The voting, which began at 7.00 a.m. and closed at 5.00 p.m., was by and large peaceful except some minor incidents of violence, Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhi Prasad Yadav said.

Three persons were injured in clashes between the cadres of the ruling Nepali Congress and the main Opposition CPN-UML at a polling centre in Bhaktapur district, about 14 km east of Kathmandu.

More than 12.2 million voters were eligible to exercise their voting rights in the second phase of the polls.

The voting took place for 128 constituencies of Parliament’s House of Representatives and 256 seats of Provincial Assemblies in 45 districts.