People in Nepal are voting in nationwide elections that so far have been mostly peaceful. The new national assembly will re-write the country's constitution.
The election, the first since 1999, is expected to bring an end to the country's 240-year-old monarchy.
People began queuing early to cast their votes. The election follows a 2006 ceasefire agreed between the government and Maoist rebels.
The former Maoist rebel Prachanda - now a mainstream politician - cast his vote in Bharatpur, 90km south of Kathmandu. The Maoists have campaigned vigorously to abolish the monarchy.
Security was tight across Nepal. Observers say the mostly peaceful atmosphere was in contrast to violence preceding the poll. There are indications of a high turnout.
Former Maoist soldiers cast their votes at a polling station inside the United Nations-administered Shaktikhor Cantonment, some 90kms south of Kathmandu.
Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala votes at a polling station in his home town of Biratnagar, some 200km from Kathmandu.
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