General elections end in Nepal with 61 percent turnout-Xinhua

General elections end in Nepal with 61 percent turnout

Source: Xinhua| 2022-11-21 00:39:45|Editor: huaxia

Election Commission workers count votes in Kathmandu, Nepal, Nov. 21, 2022. The elections for the House of Representatives of the federal parliament and seven provincial assemblies ended in Nepal on Sunday, with the turnout estimated to be at 61 percent, the Election Commission said. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua)

KATHMANDU, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- The elections for the House of Representatives of the federal parliament and seven provincial assemblies ended in Nepal on Sunday, with the turnout estimated to be at 61 percent, the Election Commission said.

"The voting concluded in a largely peaceful manner. Our preliminary reports suggest the voter turnout stood at 61 percent," Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya, the chief election commissioner, said at a press briefing.

The voter turnout was 68.66 percent in Nepal's first general elections in 2017, which were held after the promulgation of a new constitution in 2015.

The votes were disrupted in 15 out of 2,227 polling centers across the country, Thapaliya said, noting voters shall go to the polls again in the 15 polling centers within two days.

One person was killed when police opened fire in Bajura district after some people attempted to obstruct the voting process, and at least a dozen of others were injured in clashes in different parts of the country, added Thapaliya.

"The vote count will commence as soon as the ballot boxes are ferried to the counting centers," Thapaliya said.

About 17.988 million voters were eligible to elect 275 members to the lower house and 550 members to the seven provincial assemblies.

The voting started at 7:00 a.m. and ended at 5:00 p.m. local time.

An Election Commission worker opens a sealed ballot box to count votes in Kathmandu, Nepal, Nov. 21, 2022. The elections for the House of Representatives of the federal parliament and seven provincial assemblies ended in Nepal on Sunday, with the turnout estimated to be at 61 percent, the Election Commission said. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua)

An Election Commission worker counts votes in Kathmandu, Nepal, Nov. 21, 2022. The elections for the House of Representatives of the federal parliament and seven provincial assemblies ended in Nepal on Sunday, with the turnout estimated to be at 61 percent, the Election Commission said. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua)

An Election Commission worker counts votes in Kathmandu, Nepal, Nov. 21, 2022. The elections for the House of Representatives of the federal parliament and seven provincial assemblies ended in Nepal on Sunday, with the turnout estimated to be at 61 percent, the Election Commission said. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua)

Police officers carry sealed ballot boxes following the general elections in Kathmandu, Nepal, Nov. 20, 2022. The elections for the House of Representatives of the federal parliament and seven provincial assemblies ended in Nepal on Sunday, with the turnout estimated to be at 61 percent, the Election Commission said. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua)

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