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VOL. 27, NO. 31, April 18, 2008 (Baishakh 06 2065 B.S.)
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Clean Chit
The international observers including Carter Center and EU have endorsed the CA election process
By A CORRESPONDENT
Giving a stamp of their approval on the whole election process, the international observers including the Carter Center, EU Observation Mission, Asian Network for Free Election (ANFREL), have largely, unanimously, given similar initial reports.
Former US president Jimmy Carter said that the outcome of the Constituent Assembly election would "truly represent the aspirations of the people".
Speaking at a press conference, Saturday (April 12), he organized a day prior to leaving Nepal where he had come with a 60-member election observer team for poll monitoring mission, Carter also said that by conducting the elections peacefully Nepal has "set an example before the world".
"The Carter Center found that the majority of Nepali voters participated in a remarkable and relatively peaceful constituent assembly election on April 10, 2008. Preliminary reports indicate that the administration of this election was well executed, bearing testimony to the hard work of election officials and the determination of Nepal's people to ensure that their country continues on the path to sustainable peace and democracy," he said reading out from a statement issued by the center.
Saying that it essential for Nepal "to remain calm, to await final results, and where there are disputes, to follow appropriate legal procedures", Carter said the center will continue to observe the district counting and national tabulation until they are complete. The co-founder of the Carter Center said that this election was important to "end the 12-years-long conflict, establish republican set up in Nepal and provide a new opportunity to the marginalized community", while congratulating the enthusiasm and determination of Nepal's people to help consolidate peace and democracy by participating in the election of a body that will write a new constitution.
"We encourage all Nepalis to remain actively involved in the drafting of the constitution to ensure that the process is transparent, accountable and inclusive," he said. Regarding poll-related violence, Carter said that not only the Maoists but other political parties were found equally responsible for it, insisting that the brutal killing of 7 unarmed Maoist activists in Dang shouldn't be forgotten or overlooked. He also flayed the policy of the current Bush administration not to engage in any sort of dialogue with the Maoists, and said that even if the party does "extremely well" in the polls the US should recognize it.
Meanwhile, the European Observation Mission has termed the constituent assembly election as a crucial step towards an inclusive democracy in Nepal and said that so far it has met several international standards.
In a statement released in the capital on Saturday, EU said that on election day polling went smoothly overall, despite a limited number of cases of violence and attempts to disrupt the poll leading to the cancellation of voting in some polling stations. However, the campaign period was tense across the country and marred by incidents of intimidation and violence, it said. "I commend the people of Nepal for the largely peaceful way in which voting took place despite the difficult circumstances. Voters turned out in large numbers and showed a genuine commitment to an inclusive election," said Jan Mulder, Chief Observer, adding, "It is now our sincere hope that, as the counting process gets underway across the country, all political parties and their leaders will respect the will of the people and the rule of law by waiting patiently for the election results."
EU said that there were numerous incidents of clashes between members of political parties and, regrettably, a number of people were killed during the campaign period and that lack of law and order and poor security environment contributed to a general atmosphere of fear and intimidation and at times undermined the right to campaign freely.
"Freedom of speech in the media was generally respected but there were a number of assaults on journalists and one journalist was kidnapped during the final days of the campaign," the report further said. "The election commission was independent, largely transparent and conducted technical preparations efficiently but failed to address numerous complaints about breaches of the code of conduct related to partisan government employees, misuse of state resources and electoral violence." EU said its concern was the unclear appeals process and lack of a consolidated election act, although the legal framework has generally provided for a democratic and inclusive election process in line with international standards.
"This long awaited election has demonstrated the enthusiasm of Nepali people for multi-party democracy and constitutional reform." said Josep Borrell, the head of a delegation from the European Parliament, which is part of the EU observation mission. "We urge political parties to act responsibly in the coming weeks and show commitment to furthering the country's democratic progress. The election commission should also ensure the detailed publication of the final results as a safeguard to ensure transparency," he added. The EU mission said it will continue to observe the rest of the election process closely, including the count, tabulation of results, the response of the election administration to complaints and the adherence of political parties to the principles of the code of conduct.
Similar voices were echoed by ANFREL and many other international and domestic observers.
The ANFREL has termed the constituent assembly elections as successful and credible saying it has marked an historic step towards consolidating peace and democracy in Nepal. In a post-election preliminary report published in Kathmandu on Saturday, ANFREL said a strong turnout in the post-conflict environment and enormous enthusiasm for the election show the will of the Nepalis for a more inclusive and democratic government.
"The optimism of the moment should be tempered both with sadness for those who have lost their lives in election related violence and caution as difficult challenges lay ahead," said ANFREL's Chief of Mission Gen Saiyud Kerdphol.
"In the immediate term, the grievances of political parties must be thoroughly investigated and repolling conducted where necessary. We commend the election commission for already announcing that repelling will take place where egregious violations have been committed," executive director of ANFREL Somsri Hananutasuk said.
ANFREL has also praised women for their overwhelming participation in the voting process.
Vice chairman of ANFREL Damaso Magbual said Maoists were the front runner in violations of code of conduct during the pre-election period
Meanwhile, among the domestic observers, General Elections Observation Committee (GEOC) has also issued a preliminary report stating that the election was held in largely peaceful and fair manner.
"But there were instances of pre-poll violence and violations of code of conduct," said Krishna Man Pradhan, member secretary of GEOC.
The GEOC had dispatched its observers in three dozen districts across the country.
