Nepal's Maoists extend poll lead

Nepal's Maoist party has taken a commanding lead in a landmark election to form an assembly tasked with writing a new constitution.

The Maoists are reported to have about half of the 160 seats declared so far, well ahead of other parties and far more than many analysts had expected.

The party now has a good chance of securing an absolute majority.

The polls are the first to test the Maoists at the ballot box after their 10-year insurgency.

The BBC's Charles Haviland in Kathmandu says this is an extraordinary vote of confidence in the Maoists.

The next largest party, the Nepali Congress, is trailing far behind with just 21 seats.

All the top Maoist leaders have won their constituencies, mostly with large majorities.

he party has not just done well in the countryside, it has also won seven of the 15 seats in the Kathmandu valley.

Our correspondent says the establishment parties have better democratic credentials but people regard them as stale.

Several senior politicians have lost, including the nephew and daughter of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and the leader of the traditional second party, the Communist UML, as well as a veteran royalist and former prime minister, Surya Bahadur Thapa, who came third in his seat.

There were many accounts of Maoist intimidation in the campaign period, our correspondent says, and some unconfirmed reports of the same on election day but people have given them a huge mandate in any case.

The Maoist leaders have promised to continue cooperating with other parties and say they want good relations with Nepal's powerful neighbours, India and China.

'Committed'

The new assembly is expected to confirm an agreement made in December between the ruling government alliance and former rebels to abolish the 240-year-old monarchy.

The Maoists' leader, known by his nom-de-guerre, Prachanda, called the results a "victory" as he celebrated his win on Saturday in the capital, Kathmandu.

"We are fully committed to the peace process and multiparty democracy and to rebuild this country," he said.

Maoist supporters have been holding victory processions, with red vermillion powder smeared on their faces and red hammer-and-sickle flags in their hands.

The election for the 601-seat assembly is a key element in the peace deal that ended the Maoists' decade-long insurgency.

Although the Maoists have not yet renounced violence, they will almost certainly now have to adjust from being a party of revolt to being a party at the heart of government, our correspondent says.

Results for the 240 constituencies chosen by the first-past-the-post system are expected over the next 10 days, although another 335 seats to be elected by proportional representation are not expected to be decided for several weeks.

The interim government is to appoint the remaining 26 seats.

Nepal held its first polls since 1999 following the Maoists' decision to end their armed struggle in 2006.

King Gyanendra seized absolute power in 2005 but was forced to give up his authoritarian rule the following year after weeks of pro-democracy protests.

He has since lost all his powers and his command of the army.

source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7344983.stm