Nepal's Communist parties poised for election landslide

Nepal's Communist parties were headed Monday for a landslide win in elections seen as a turning point after two decades of conflict, political instability and disaster that have crippled the Himalayan country.

. The landmark elections for national and provincial parliaments capped Nepal's 11-year transition from monarchy to federal democracy after a brutal civil war.

. Many hope they will usher in a much-needed period of stability in the impoverished country, which has cycled through 10 prime ministers since 2006.

. An alliance of the main Communist party and the country's former Maoist rebels is expected to form the next government, ousting the ruling centrist Nepali Congress.

. The Himalayan Times said the left alliance's strong mandate meant the country "could experience political stability", which it has lacked over the last decade, but cautioned that a strong opposition was also crucial in the young democracy.

. With counting still going on, the leftist alliance has won 97 seats in the national parliament according to preliminary data from the election commission.

. That puts them on course for a hefty majority in the country's first federal parliament, which comprises 275 seats, 110 of which are allocated on a proportional representation basis.

. They are also leading in six out of seven newly created provincial assemblies mandated in a new national constitution, which was finally agreed by parliament in 2015 in a rare moment of political consensus months after the country was devastated by a powerful earthquake.

. The charter laid the ground for a sweeping overhaul of the political system to devolve power from the centre to seven newly-created provinces.

. It was intended to build on the promise of a more inclusive society integral to the peace deal that followed the end of the civil war between Maoists and the state in 2006.

. But the constitution sparked deadly protests among ethnic minorities who said the provincial boundaries it laid out had been gerrymandered to limit their voice and demanded change.

. The Maoists and the Communist CPN-UML have often found themselves on opposite sides of parliament, but formed an electoral alliance ahead of the polls.

. The alliance campaigned on a promise to bring stability and growth to the impoverished Himalayan nation.

. Its victory returns maNepal's Communist parties were headed Monday for a landslide win in elections seen as a turning point after two decades of conflict, political instability and disaster that have crippled the Himalayan country.