Three dead in Nepal vote violence

KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- Nepal's elections on Thursday were hailed as a success by international observers, including a former U.S. president, despite violence that left two people dead -- including a candidate gunned down in front of a polling station.

The candidate, Sambhu Prasad Singh, was killed just minutes before polls closed in a village in southern Nepal's Sarlahi District, where sporadic violence was reported throughout the day, according to the election commissioner.

It was one of three deaths on Nepal's election day. Earlier, a party activist died during political clashes in the southern Sunsari District. After the polls closed, police shot and killed a man trying to take ballot boxes that were being transported to the headquarters in the southern Siraha District, home ministry sources said.

Those clashes between activists of various parties forced election officials to suspend voting at 33 polling stations -- most of them in Nepal's troubled south where many armed groups are active, the commissioner said.

In one incident, a ballot box was burned after Maoists declined to let voters cast ballots if they supported other political parties, police said. In another, Maoists beat up a poll worker, police said. Watch Nepali citizens head to the polls »

There have been tensions among Nepal's Madhesi people, who live in southern Nepal and make up nearly half of the small Himalayan country's population, after after Nepal struck a deal with Maoist rebels in November 2006.

Some Madhesi groups have taken up arms in their quest for autonomy and better representation in Nepal's government, including the army.

More than 20 people have been killed in election-related violence, and nearly half of those deaths occurred this week. Three candidates were among those killed.

Despite the violence, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter hailed the vote as a "revolutionary and wonderful experience" for international election observers.

"This is a first time we have seen an election in a long period of conflict change the structure of the government completely and open up the political process to formally marginalized people," he said.

United Nations election observers had also feared the violence would be much higher.

Nepal's election commissioner estimated turnout at about 60 percent -- much higher than previous elections. He said the election-related violence was lower than had been expected, and noted that only a small fraction of the roughly 8,000 polling stations had to be closed as a result.

Voters in Nepal are electing an assembly that will decide whether the country continues its 240 years as a monarchy or becomes a republic, as most expect. The 601-member constituent assembly will prepare a new constitution.

The elections come two years after a peace accord ended 10 years of fighting between the government and Maoists insurgents. The country's monarch, King Gyanendra, gave up most powers in April 2006 after an uprising against his direct rule.

In this week's violence, a communist candidate was shot and killed Tuesday. That same day, police shot and killed six members of a Maoist party; the circumstances were unclear, but government officials said police fired after a disturbance.

Wednesday, officers fired into a crowd of demonstrators, killing one. E-mail to a friend

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