Nepal begins voting in local polls, for first time in 20 years

Kathmandu: Nepalese are lining up to vote for representatives in municipal and village councils for the first time in two decades.

The first phase of voting in half of the Himalayan nation on Sunday has been mostly peaceful. An army ordnance disposal team safely detonated two explosive devices in capital Kathmandu that were planted across from a



candidate's house.

Crucial local positions have been held by government-appointed representatives because elections could not be held amid a 10-year-old communist insurgency and years of delay in drafting a new constitution.

The second phase of local polls in the remaining parts of the country will be held after a month.