April 10, 2008, heralded Nepal's historic Constituent Assembly election. Brightly colored queues of people all over the country waited enthusiastically since dawn to cast their vote in 9,821 polling centers, in hopes of shaping the political future of their nation. The high turnout - approximately 60% of the 17.6 million voters - reflected the desire of the Nepali people to take part in a democratic process and their hope the elections will bring peace, stability and prosperity to the country.

As Bhawana Kadel, one of 6 million of women voting in the election, said, "I am voting for peace. I want a better future for my child and the children of my country. I want them to grow up with hope, the chance of a job. I want to see women better represented and for them to have a say in how the country is run. For me this is very important".

Bhawana's desire to see women better represented is likely to become a reality. The twice postponed landmark election will establish a 601 member Constituent Assembly. The parallel election system, with both first-past-the-post and proportional representation, will through a quota system guarantee a high representation of previously oppressed groups in society, including women who will gain at least 25% of the seats.

Despite a tense pre-election environment characterized by significant levels of violence and intimidation; the Election Day itself, carried out amidst tight security, was calmer than expected. Nepal's Election Commissioner, Mr Bhoj Raj Pokharel, said voting was peaceful, with the exception of a few minor incidents. Based on reports of 60,000 domestic and 900 international observers, this view was corroborated in statements made by both observer groups; in addition to the EU Election Observation Mission's formal evaluation. The EU evaluated Election Day to have a limited number of incidents of violence, intimidation and overt attempts to disrupt the poll in parts of the country, with general polling carried out smoothly.

A unanimously recognized achievement was the operational and technical conduct of the election. The EU stated the election had been organized in a professional manner meeting many international standards and the Carter Center stated the election was well executed and the Election Commission should feel proud.

Polling agents check the voter registration list.

But the work is not over. Due to the system of voting, the process of counting and declaration of elected candidates may take several weeks, and re-polling is taking place in over 100 polling stations due to incidences of Election Day malpractice.

As of April 18, 2008, over 70% of the ballots have been counted. It is clear the Maoists will win significantly more seats than anyone expected, including themselves. However, it is likely they will be short of an absolute majority and will have to work in co-operation with established parties, who performed below expectations.

"We are honored to have had the opportunity to make a significant contribution towards this historic election, stated IFES' Country Director, Peter Erben. "We delivered a wide range of activities to the Election Commission, civil society and the citizens of Nepal, including the production of over 41 million ballot papers, the conduct of 1,500 theater performances educating over half a million people about elections, and facilitation of training for election officials country-wide".

Now the count has to be completed, potentially running into May, and then the Constituent Assembly can convene. The Assembly faces an enormous responsibility to reshape Nepali society through drafting a new constitution and living up to significant expectations of its citizens, like Bhawana.