clipped from: news.bbc.co.uk 
As the Maoists surge towards victory in the elections to a constitutional assembly, even some of their leaders have expressed surprise at its apparent scale.
There is another factor, too. Atrocities during the Maoist insurgency were committed by both sides, but in terms of numbers the state killed more people than the Maoists.
Village schoolteachers were often abducted and killed. The Maoist teacher-training curriculum, witnessed at first hand by the BBC in 2005, included the life of Prachanda and an alphabet of grenades and guns for six-year-olds.
Nepalis do seem to have faith in the democratic process. The new assembly will have a two-year term and some voters have said they will kick the Maoists out of government if they disappoint.