Authorities in Nepal have begun tallying votes in the country's first election in nine years.
The historic vote is meant to secure lasting peace in a land riven by communist insurgents and an autocratic king.
Scattered shootings and clashes that killed two people on election day did not deter millions of Nepalis from casting ballots in Thursday's vote.
The United Nations said the turnout was a display of "overwhelming enthusiasm" for the election that many hope will usher in a new era in the largely impoverished and often violent country.
The election of a 601-seat Constituent Assembly to write a new constitution has been touted as the cornerstone of a 2006 peace deal struck with former rebels, known as Maoists
It follows months of unrest that forced Nepal's king to cede absolute power, which he had seized the year before.
But getting through the election was just the first step toward a new beginning for Nepal.
None of the 54 parties vying for seats in the assembly is expected to win a landslide, and with 20,000 voting stations spread across the Himalayan land officials said it could be several weeks before a complete tally is ready.
With such a long a gap between the election and the results, there are fears of instability and unrest as the parties jockey for position to contest what results do leak out.