By P. Vijian, Bernama
New Delhi : Nepal has proved to the world that it can conduct fair and peaceful elections despite its limitations and given the political undercurrents, according to Malaysian observers of the elections in the Himalayan kingdom.
Malaysian Election Commission (EC) Deputy Chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar, who led a three-member delegation to observe Nepal’s Constituent Assembly elections on April 10, said polling was conducted smoothly and there was a 65 per cent voter turnout.
“The election process from beginning to end was conducted according to universally recognised election laws. It was based on democratic principles similar to those in India, Pakistan and Malaysia,” Wan Ahmad told Bernama.
The delegation, also comprising EC Deputy Secretary Ab. Rahim Ahmad and EC member Datuk Dr P. Manogran, concluded its visit to Nepal Friday.
After a nine-year lapse, Nepalese went to the polls for the first time last Thursday wanting to reinvent the country’s political system from an absolute monarchy to a secular republic after prolonged political instability in the country.
Some 17.6 million people were eligible to vote in the crucial elections in which nearly 6,000 candidates contested. The outcome could possibly end the country’s 240-year-old monarchy.
The final results are expected to be announced in a week’s time. Assessing the media coverage, Wan Ahmad said the Nepalese media was fair in its election coverage, providing balanced reporting throughout the campaign period.
“The print and electronic media were all fair in their coverage. There was balanced coverage and fair reporting, according to everyone’s expectations,” he said.
The Malaysians joined some 1,000 international observers in the Himalayan kingdom to witness the landmark elections that were carried out under a heavy security blanket to avert any violence that could mar the polls.
The Maoists had carried out a decade-long violent insurgency against Nepal’s monarchy, leaving nearly 13,000 people dead.