Nepal counting votes in a post-uprising electionAFP, KATHMANDUCounting was under way in Nepal yesterday, after a high-stakes parliamentary election to reshape the country’s leadership following protests last year that toppled the government. In Kathmandu’s tea shops and city squares, people were glued to their phones, checking results as early trends flashed up — suggesting Shah’s centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) was ahead. Security personnel stand guard outside a counting center in Kathmandu yesterday. Photo: AFPNepalese Election Commission spokesman Prakash Nyupane said the counting was ongoing “in a peaceful manner” across the Himalayan nation, from snowbound high-altitude mountain regions to the hot plains bordering India. “If RSP hits the magic 138 seats, Balen will become prime minister — and hopefully a cabinet of technocrats,” Dixit said.
