September 19, 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n Nepal\u2019s most-awaited local elections successfully ended today with a record voter turnout in the last phase.<\/p>\n The Election Commission (EC), in its latest update, informed that the third phase of elections held in Province 2 yesterday registered a 77 percent voter turnout.<\/p>\n With this, the third phase that was held in 136 local levels of eight districts of Province 2 surpassed the first two rounds of civic polls, which saw 71 percent and 73.69 percent voter turnout, respectively.<\/p>\n The final phase of elections was considered tough compared to the first two rounds as the polls in Madhesi-dominant Province 2 were earlier postponed thrice due to opposition by Madhesi parties.<\/p>\n However, one metropolitan city, three sub-metropolitan cities, 73 municipalities and 59 rural municipalities of eight districts of Province 2 were covered in the final phase, for which, the Commission had organised 3,578 polling centres and 2,166 polling stations.<\/p>\n Overall, a total number of 2,664,950 voters participated in the final phase of local elections to elect 6,627 civic body representatives.<\/p>\n According to Surya Prasad Aryal, Information Officer at EC, the counting has begun in 89 local levels and preparations are underway for the other levels.<\/p>\n While Nepali Congress is leading the polls in Province 2 with 18 majority, CPN-UML is standing ahead in total with 276 seats and 9 majority seats.<\/p>\n Aryal lauded higher participation of women in polls than men. \u201cThe number of women voters exceeds men by 28,535 this time,\u201d said Surya.<\/p>\n Expressing successful completion of local polls, he further informed that as many as 16 third-gendered persons have also cast their votes in the final round of local polls.<\/p>\n The completion of local-level polls is being considered as a key step towards institutionalizing federalism in the country and is part of the final step in the peace deal that ended the 10-year long civil war in 2006.<\/p>\n This is being seen as a key step ahead of federal and provincial elections on November 26, 2017, and December 7, 2017, to mark the ending of long-drawn transition in the country that occurred as a result of a decade-long civil war.<\/p>\n Nepal local-level polls were held for the first time in two decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" September 19, 2017 Nepal\u2019s most-awaited local elections successfully ended today with a record voter turnout in…<\/span><\/p>\nHigh Women Participation<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Completion of Local Polls, a Key Step<\/strong><\/h4>\n