From war to election: Nepal's exhilarating ride

By Simon Denyer

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - The elections have passed off peacefully, the U.N. spokesman in Nepal crowed: "bad news for foreign journalists". He could not have got it more wrong.

Covering Nepal's journey from hopeless civil war and royal dictatorship to democracy, peace and its first elections in nine years has been exhilarating.

I have reported from Africa and Afghanistan but few places inspired such pessimism as Nepal. Our weekly news planning calls had become an exercise in finding different ways to express that hopelessness.

A feudal royal family almost obliterated by a terrible massacre. Politicians who squabbled and stole, and let their country descend ever deeper into poverty. A ragtag Maoist army with an extremist ideology and a reputation for brutality.

Each side hated the other passionately, and seemed to care more about power than the people. It was hard to see a way out.

And yet, in April this year, Nepal suddenly found an answer in democracy and an historic election process.

As I travelled round polling stations on election day, the mood of hope was overwhelming.

In one village, I met women who had walked three hours each way in their best sarees to cast their ballots, shaded from the scorching sun under black umbrellas.