Polling ended across Nepal in a landmark election Thursday amid signs of generally peaceful voting and high turnout - but sporadic violence in southern Nepal claimed the lives of at least two people, including an election candidate, according to dpa. "The polling was held peacefully to choose constituent assembly members across the country today," Chief Election Commissioner Bhoj Raj Pokharel told a post election press conference in the capital Kathmandu. "There were some reports of violence and we have cancelled polling in 33 polling stations of the nearly 21,000 spread across the country," Pokharel said. "Two people including an independent candidate were killed in violence in southern Nepal." Pokharel said the election commission was also investigating reports of booth capturing and violence in some polling stations and said a final decision whether to cancel polling and call for a re- polling would be taken after investigations. "The level of violence or incidents of groups trying to storm voting centres to take control of the ballot boxes were much less than in the past elections," Pokharel said. In its preliminary reaction the European Union Observation Mission said it did not think the voting was negative in Kathmandu Valley. According to government officials, the country saw no large scale violence despite fears due to violence leading up to the polling day. At least 19 people were killed in pre-election violence, including eight killed since Tuesday. "We are very satisfied with the voting," Home Ministry Spokesman Mod Raj Dotel said. "People voted enthusiastically." People across the country began queuing up at polling early in the morning ahead of the 7 am (0115 GMT) opening time. Polling stations closed 10 hours later. For many Nepalese, the voting was a chance to choose their parties with the hope that the country will now head towards a lasting peace and economic development. "We are finally able to vote after so many years," said Rajendra Shrestha as he waited for his turn at a polling centre in central Kathmandu. "I hope the country can now embark on a path to lasting peace and progress." In another part of town another voter echoed similar sentiment. "This election is very important as we are choosing representatives to draft a new constitution," 40-year-old Sushila Shakya told Deutsche Presse-Agentur after she cast her vote. "I am very happy that I could vote and I hope that this will lead to some progress for the country." Shakya said "We must stop fighting among ourselves." Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala was one of the first to cast his ballot in his hometown of Biratnagar, about 350 kilometres south- east of Kathmandu. Maoist leader Prachanda cast his ballot from his home district of Chitwan in southern Nepal. Nepalese voted to choose 601 members of the constituent assembly will draft a new constitution and ratify a decision of the interim parliament to abolish the monarchy. Under election rules, 240 seats would be chosen through direct election while the remaining seats would be chosen on the basis on proportional representation. Just more than 17.6 million voters were eligible to cast their ballots in 20,889 polling centres while 110,000 police, including 55,000 recruited just for election security, provided security.
