Kathmandu, Dec. 18 -- Voting to elect the new leadership of the CPN-UML concluded early Thursday, the party's central election commission said.

Commission member Bharat Pokhrel said 2,227 convention delegates cast their ballots, while 36 were absent. "The voting process has ended," he said, adding that results are expected by 10:30am on Thursday if there are no complications.

Pokhrel said the electronic voting machines have been locked and are being checked before sealing and certification. Vote counting will begin after a consensus among all stakeholders.

Polling began at 9:12am on Wednesday and continued overnight. Despite the use of electronic voting machines, the process took longer than expected, extending the convention by two da...