Hundreds of candidates for Nepal's first elections since 1999 have pulled out amid threats of reprisals from Maoist rebels.
The withdrawals have forced the cancellation of polling in many areas, according to the electoral commission.
Voting is due to go ahead as planned on 8 February in only 36 of 58 municipalities.
In the remaining 22, elections will not be held because there are no candidates or those remaining have been declared elected unopposed.
The Maoists, fighting to topple the world's only Hindu monarch, have threatened candidates and some have already been attacked.
The seven main political parties are boycotting the vote.
The parties say the polls, the first of any kind since a national election in 1999, aim to legitimise the rule of King Gyanendra who sacked the government took total power a year ago.
After 647 candidates pulled out, only 3,007 now remain to contest 4,146 seats.
Many remaining candidates are being held in heavily guarded government safe houses or have been given guards at their homes.
