ISAS Briefs

The historic elections for a Constituent Assembly in Nepal are finally over, with 60 percent voter turnout but a fair amount of violence. Nepalese voted for the first time in nine years on 10 April 2008 to choose a 601-member special Assembly. There were 74 political parties, including one with all women candidates and another formed by a former Japanese national. There were 17.5 million voters and over 80,000 observers, alongside high-profile individuals such as former United States President, Jimmy Carter, and the son of former Japanese Prime Minister, Ryutaro Hashimoto. The new Assembly is expected to draft a new Constitution for the country and abolish the Hindu monarchy. The monarchy has ruled the complex Nepali state, comprising 22 different principalities of various ethnic groups, for 239 years.