Vote counting for Nepal’s parliamentary elections began on Friday as authorities transported ballot boxes from remote mountain regions to counting centres across the country.
According to the Election Commission, counting started soon after polling concluded for the election to the Pratinidhi Sabha, the lower house of Nepal’s parliament.
Several polling stations are located in isolated Himalayan villages that can only be reached after days of trekking. In such areas, helicopters were used to transport ballot boxes to counting centres, The Associated Press reported.
Election officials said the counting process may take several days because of the logistical challenges posed by Nepal’s geography.
Results expected over the weekend
Officials said preliminary trends would begin emerging during the counting process, while most final results from direct elections could be announced by the weekend.
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The election commission estimated voter turnout at about 60 per cent. More than 18.9 million voters were eligible to cast their ballots in the election held on March 5. Nepal will elect 275 members to the lower house of parliament. Of these, 165 seats are decided through direct voting, while 110 seats are allocated through proportional representation, based on the share of votes secured by political parties.
With 65 political parties and more than 3,400 candidates in the race, officials say the counting process could continue for several days before the final composition of parliament becomes clear.
