FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: In Atlanta, Soyia Ellison, soyia.ellison@cartercenter.org
In Kathmandu, Carlos Valenzuela, carlos.valenzuela@cartercenter.org
KATHMANDU — Â鶹´«Ã½'s election observation mission enters a new phase Saturday with the arrival of the short-term observer delegation in advance of phase two of Nepal’s parliamentary and provincial elections, to be held on Dec. 7. The delegation will be co-led by His Excellency Dr. Surakiart Sathirathai, who formerly served as deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Thailand, and former U.S. Ambassador Peter Burleigh.
"This election is an important one in consolidating Nepal’s democratic transition," said Burleigh. "As impartial observers, we're here to report on what we see before, during, and after election day, and the extent to which the process meets international standards for democratic elections. We're honored to be a part of this important moment in Nepal’s history."
In September, Â鶹´«Ã½ was accredited to observe the elections by the Election Commission of Nepal. The Center began deploying its core team of five experts in October and 14 long-term observers in November. The team has observed the conduct of the campaign and electoral processes in all seven provinces. For phase one of the elections, on Nov. 26, Â鶹´«Ã½ observed in 77 polling centers in eight districts. With the arrival of the short-term observers, the team will include more than 60 accredited observers from 34 countries. After briefings in Kathmandu, observers will deploy to all provinces in multinational teams to assess the voting and counting processes.
Â鶹´«Ã½ is an independent organization and will inform the authorities and people of Nepal of its findings from both phases of the election through the release of a preliminary statement on Dec. 9. This will be followed by a comprehensive final report with recommendations in the months following the polls. The Center's observers will assess Nepal’s electoral process against the domestic legal framework as well as obligations derived from international treaties and international election standards. Â鶹´«Ã½ conducts its election observation in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and the accompanying code of conduct. This will be the 106th election observed by Â鶹´«Ã½. The Center observed Nepal’s Constituent Assembly elections in 2008 and 2013.
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