Kathmandu, March 23
The European Union’s Election Observation Mission to Nepal says it adhered to the standard international exercise adopted by election observation missions to review of administrative practices, legislation, and the constitution when reporting on elections. It also says that the recommendations made in the report are based on Nepal’s international commitments.
This comes two days after Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning the final report prepared by the mission, which calls for an end to reservation for the Khas/Aryan group, among others. The ministry had said the mission went beyond its jurisdiction to talk about issues that had already been settled by the new constitution. Similarly, the Election Commission said on Thursday that the EU’s report breaches an agreement between the mission and the poll body to observe the electoral process in Nepal.
“The assessment and recommendations in the EU EOM’s final report are based on international and regional commitments for democratic elections to which Nepal is a signatory,” said the mission in a statement on Friday.
After receiving criticism from various quarters saying that the EU Mission failed to acknowledge the historic nature of Nepal’s recent achievements, the EU mission says that there are many positives in the report as well. The mission says the legal framework for the elections were sound, and despite ‘shortcomings’ identified in the process, the Election Commission conducted the polls within a tight timeframe.
Referring to the various legal and constitutional ‘reforms’ suggested in the controversial report, the mission said that the recommendations were widely consulted and discussed at a roundtable on December 28, 2017.
The mission states that all recommendations made in the report are for the consideration of Nepal, and it is up to Nepal to decide issues related to the constitution and other laws.
