Kathmandu - Voting began Friday in by-elections to fill six
vacant seats in Nepal's Constituent Assembly in contests seen as a
test of the Maoists' popularity.
Just more than 444,000 citizens were eligible to cast their
ballots, deciding who among 139 candidates, including 10 women, would
become members of the assembly, which is Nepal's interim legislature
and has also been tasked with drafting a new constitution.
The election is seen as a test of Maoist popularity since the
former revolutionaries formed a coalition government last year.
The Maoists emerged as the single largest party in the 601-member
assembly after elections in April 2008, two years after giving up
their armed insurgency.
The Maoists have, however, come under growing criticism from
members of their coalition as well as the opposition Nepali Congress
who accuse them of continuing violence, intimidation and extortion.
Election officials said polling stations opened at 8 am (0345 GMT)
in five districts in western and eastern Nepal.
Voting was taking place in Rolpa, Kaski and Kanchanpur in western
Nepal and two constituencies in the Morang district and one in the
Dhanusha district in eastern Nepal.
People began queuing early to cast their votes at several polling
stations and the voting had been largely peaceful so far, Nepal's
Election Commission said.
For the first time in Nepal, all 490 polling stations in the six
constituencies were using electronic voting machines.
Security was tightened in all constituencies with hundreds of
extra security personnel deployed, the government said.
International borders with India in the Morang, Dhanusha and
Kanchanpur districts were also sealed to prevent cross-border crime
during voting.
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