Residents of mountain villages and foothill towns voted on 26Nov in Nepal's first provincial polls, with the hope of bringing government closer to the Himalayan nation's rural and remote areas.
Nepal's chief election commissioner, Ayodhi Prasad Yadav, said turnout was more than 65 percent among the 3.2 million voters who were choosing lawmakers in seven newly formed federal states as well as the national assembly.
The lawmakers who are elected on 26 Nov, and Dec. 7 in the remaining parts of the country, will be able to name their states, draft provincial laws and choose local leaders.
"The central government is finally moving to our region. We will be closer to the government now with the state assemblies," said schoolteacher Swasthani Thapa, who was among the voters lining outside the polling station at Chautara, 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of Kathmandu, even before it opened at 7 a.m.
Chautara was one of the areas hardest hit by a devastating 2015 earthquake. People in Nepal's mountain regions complained they did not get enough help from the central government because their voices were not heard. Two years later, destroyed and damaged houses are still scattered around Chautara and surrounding areas.
"This is a historic day for us," said businessman Surya Lal Shrestha. "The setting up of states will give final shape to the democracy process, which should finally bring stability and development for our country."
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