60% voting in high-stakes post-uprising polls in Nepal

Nepal voted on Thursday for a new parliament in a high-stakes showdown between an entrenched old guard and a powerful youth movement, six months after deadly anti-corruption protests toppled the government.

- Agence France-Presse

“The voting process has been concluded peacefully and enthusiastically,” chief election commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari told reporters, saying turnout had been around 60% according to initial estimates.

Key figures contesting for power include the Marxist former prime minister seeking a return to office, a rapper-turned-mayor bidding for the youth vote, and the newly elected leader of the powerful Nepali Congress party.

Election commission officials collected ballot boxes after voting closed, with papers taken under guard to centres before counting. Some winners are expected to be published as early as Friday, but full results may take several days.