Nepal police kill seven Maoists in clashes ahead of vote

POLICE in Nepal have shot dead seven Maoists, the party said yesterday, in the worst outbreak of violence ahead of a high-stakes and tense vote on the Himalayan nation’s political future.

The Maoists, who are campaigning for Nepal’s god-king Gyanendra to be ousted and the monarchy to be immediately abolished after today’s elections, were killed during clashes with supporters of a rival party.

But rebel leader Prachanda, who has accused elements of the security forces of plotting to undermine the elections in order to save the king, made an appeal for calm.

“The need of the hour is to show restraint and have a fair and free election,” he said in a statement after meeting with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.

In other violence, an election candidate was assassinated on Tuesday in the west of the country, while the capital and the ethnically tense south have been rocked by small bombings.

The polls will mark the climax of a peace process that ended the Maoists’ decade-long war, which left at least 13,000 dead, and resulted in the creation of a 601-seat assembly that will rewrite the constitution and likely oust Gyanendra.

But even though the Maoists have put their hardened jungle and mountain fighters into United Nations-monitored camps and signed up for peace, they have been under fire for intimidation of voters.

Maoist leader Prachanda has also warned the monarch of “a trial and strong punishment” if he does not go quietly — a sign that peace has not yet truly taken hold.

In principle, the new constituent assembly will boot out Gyanendra, who took the throne in 2001 after most of the royals were shot dead by a drunken, stoned and suicidal prince.

With no single party likely to win a majority, the post-vote period could herald more unrest, the International Crisis Group has warned.

“Nepal has many possible flashpoints, not least that the two armies that fought the war remain intact, politically uncompromising and combat-ready,” the Brussels-based think tank said, referring to the Maoists and the pro-royal national army.

“The post-poll period will likely be difficult and dangerous. The behaviour of powerful losers will shape the immediate aftermath. Some, in particular the Maoists, may even be tempted to reject the entire election,” the group said.

The polls will be the most watched in Nepal’s history, with hundreds of international observers in the country. Security has also been stepped up.