Two bombs have exploded in Nepal ahead of this week’s vote on the country’s political future.
At least 11 people were wounded when attackers threw a bomb at a rally by the Nepali Congress, one of several parties who have vowed to oust unpopular King Gyanendra after Thursday's vote.
The bombing occurred in the south near the border with India, an area seen as supportive of the Hindu monarch. Police said the bombing was carried out by people who are trying to prevent the elections from happening.
Another person was hurt in Kathmandu in a blast close to a building of the United Nations, which is monitoring the country’s peace process following a deal with Maoist rebels.
The polls on Thursday are for an assembly that will rewrite the constitution, and the main parties and the Maoists have agreed in advance that it will also end the 24-year-old monarchy.
About 1,000 international observers will be in Nepal during the vote, making this election the most closely-watched in the nation's history.
In an effort to ensure the polls are peaceful, the government has mobilised tens of thousands of extra police nationwide and banned the sale of alcohol for a week.
The polls have already been postponed twice, partly due to an uprising in the south.
