Maoists lag in early Nepal result

by Amy Judd | April 10, 2008 at 09:52 pm

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The results are in for the first constituency in Nepal and the Maoist party is currently in third place.

In Kathmandu's constituency number one, the Maoist candidate polled under 4,000 votes. The Nepali Congress candidate won, securing more than 14,000 votes.

Analysts say that although this is an early first result, it offers an insight into the popularity of Maoists.

Nepal held its first polls since 1999 following the Maoists' decision to quit their armed struggle in 2006.

The polls are for an assembly that is expected to re-write Nepal's constitution and abolish its monarchy.

Results for Kathmandu constituency one were declared quickly because it was the only constituency which used electronic voting machines.

Election official Prakash Man Singh said that the Maoists trailed behind the Nepali Congress candidate and the UML, a centre-left party which polled more than 6,000 votes.