KATHMANDU, Mar 5: Polls in Nepal's general election closed on Thursday evening as the Himalayan nation gets ready to elect a new parliament nearly six months after the deaths of 77 people in a crackdown on youth-led protests forced its then prime minister to quit.
Counting at most booths was likely to begin soon after polls closed at 5 pm local time (1115 GMT) and early trends are likely to emerge by Friday, election commission officials said, although complete results could take a week.
At least half of the country's 19 million eligible voters had cast their ballot by 3 pm local time (0915 GMT), the election commission said.
"We will work out the final tally of votes cast after the voting closes. As of now in most of the districts voters' turnout is more than 50%," Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, election commission spokesperson said.
Voting percentage in the country's last election in 2022 was 61%.
Perched between China and India, the country of 30 million people has been plagued for decades by political instability, crippling a largely agrarian economy and worsening unemployment - structural issues compounded by rampant corruption.
The long-festering malaise erupted into street demonstrations last September, triggered by a social media ban, that brought thousands on the streets, leading to clashes and fatalities that forced the resignation of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli.
On Thursday, voters flocked to schools, temples and ancient courtyards that have been converted into polling booths across the country, with some braving the morning chill in the capital Kathmandu to vote early. �" REUTERS
