Voting begins in Nepal for new constituent assembly

Voters in Nepal are going to the polls to elect members of a new assembly tasked with writing a constitution, after years of delay. The vote is the second since a 10-year Maoist insurgency ended in 2006. No clear winner is expected this time. A previous assembly elected in 2008 was supposed to draft a constitution, following the overthrow of the centuries-old monarchy. But it was bitterly divided and never accomplished its task. An interim government formed earlier this year by Nepal's major parties has overseen the elections and is led by the Supreme Court's chief judge, Khilraj Regmi, according to the (BBC). On the eve of the vote, he condemned sporadic violence in different parts of the country and said the security forces would ensure a free and fair election. A group of opposition parties, led by a breakaway Maoist faction, has called for nationwide disruption of the vote. It wanted a new government - with representation from all the political parties - to conduct elections at a later date. Voting began peacefully on Tuesday, amid tight security. Local media reported long queues at polling stations in the capital.