About 15.4 million eligible voters are tasked to pick a 275-member parliament – 165 through first-past-the-post and 110 through proportional representation – the first under a new constitution agreed after years of wrangling. Simultaneously, voters will choose representatives to seven provincial assemblies for the first time after Nepal turned into a federal republic and abolished monarchy in 2008. Ethnic minoritiesIn March, Nepal received letters of intent worth $8.4 billion from Chinese investors compared with $300 million received from Indian delegates at an investment summit, officials said. Aid and tourism dependent Nepal, recovering from a devastating earthquake that killed 9,000 people in 2015, is among the world’s poorest. The economy, which saw zero growth last year due to instability and the earthquake, is expected to expand by 6.9% this year because of improved power supply and agricultural production, officials said.

Source: Dhaka Tribune November 24, 2017 08:48 UTC