U.N. worried about security in historic Nepal poll

By Gopal Sharma

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - The United Nations said it was worried about the security of voters ahead of this week's historic national elections, as authorities prepared to halt campaigning from Tuesday to help ensure a smooth election.

Nepalis will vote on Thursday for a 601-member constituent assembly, the centrepiece of a landmark peace deal with former Maoist rebels, meant to prepare a new constitution, most likely abolish the monarchy and turn the nation into a republic.

The assembly will also form a new government expected to govern Nepal for at least two years, setting the tone for political and economic reforms before a new election is set.

But election-related violence has killed three people and injured more than 100, including some candidates. Most of the clashes were between political parties and the Maoists.

Armed groups fighting for autonomy in the southern plains have called for general strikes and vowed to disrupt the vote in a region accounting for nearly half of Nepal's population.

"Voters in these areas, as in all of Nepal, need a secure environment to come to the polls and vote freely," said Kieran Dwyer, the spokesman for the United Nations Mission in Nepal.

One of the latest incidents of violence saw one person wounded in a bomb blast on Monday near a political rally in an upmarket area in Kathmandu, police said.

At least 11 people were injured in a second explosion at another election meeting in Birgunj town in the country's south, police said.