ADN/I6/2013/DEC
22 December 2013
Dear Friends,
Upon review of the tentative reports from the dispatched election observers in the recently held Constitutional Assembly elections in Nepal on the 19 November 2013, it was concluded that overall the elections were generally a success. The observing organizations have indicated that overall the elections were free and fair.
An admirable aspect of the elections, indicated by observers, was the fact that the participation of women was visible. There were some polling centers that were staffed entirely by women. In despite of the threat of violence leading up to the elections, ADN members also applauds Nepal in their landmark achievement of taking the necessary steps towards democratization.
However, there is room for improvement such as verification of identification and voting registration. With the difficulty of proving citizenship it was noted that registration to vote was difficult. Also, with no convenient way to verify if one was registered to vote, observers witnessed a number of voters being turned away.
We believe that there are many lessons to be learned from this year’s elections and room for much improvement. As is stated in the recommendations by our partner organization the Asia Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) voter registration, code of conduct compliance, polling procedures, voter education and security should be improved.
Please, refer to preliminary reports of the results of the elections from ADN member and the General Election Observation Committee/Nepal (GEOC) attached to this mail.
