Razen Manandhar
Nepal Sadbhawana Party President Anandidevi Singh submitting the closed list of the party’s candidates at the Election Commission in Kantipath, Kathmandu, on Sunday.
Nepal Sadbhawana Party President Anandidevi Singh submitting the closed list of the party’s candidates at the Election Commission in Kantipath, Kathmandu, on Sunday.
Kathmandu, March 2:
Close to 93,000 volunteers will be mobilised as Election Observers (EO) all over the country during the April 10 Constituent Assembly election. The number is 30 times higher than the number of volunteers observing Nepal’s third general election in 1999.
A total of 92,245 Nepalis affiliated with 148 non-government organisations and around 500 foreign observers from seven international organisations will inspect the voting in 9,801 polling centres and over 20,000 polling booths, according to the Election Obeservers’ Resource Centre (EORC) at the Election Commission.
The National Election Monitoring Alliance (NEMA) also plans to mobilise a quarter of the observers. The smallest number of volunteers was offered by the Women Development Self-Employment Training Centre (WDSETC) which has only three observers.
Subodh Raj Pyakurel, head of observers’ group from National Election Monitoring Alliance, said that the observers were selected from 14 federations affiliated to NEMA and they cannot be cadres of any party.
The National Election Monitoring Alliance so far has decided that each of the observers will get Rs 150 for their day-long work.
Usha Khadka, who heads the WDSETC, said that her organisation could offer only three persons because of lack of funds.
Asian Network for Free Elections is mobilising 100 foreign observers, while others are undecided about their numbers.
Dhruba Dhakal, under secretary of EC, said that the number of observers is natural because the interest to be part of the election is growing all over the country.
Asked if the groups of observers could pose problems at polling centres, he said that the returning officers would regulate observers.
“The officer may send them out or ask them to be present following time table if the number is found to be too big to handle,” he said.
Nepali organisations
• National Election Monitoring Alliance (NEMA) - 23,000
• Nepal Election Observation Committee Nepal (NEOC/N) - 20,000
• National Election Observation Committee (NEOC) - 12,700
• Democracy and Election Alliance Nepal (DEAN) - 12,000
• Common Movement for Human Rights Preservation and Peace (CHRP) - 7,500
• CA Election Observation Joint Forum (CAEOF) - 5,000
• General Election Observation Committee (GEOC) - 1,900
• Nepal Bar Association (NBA) - 1,000
International organisations
• The Carter Centre
• Asian Network for Free Elections
• Forum-Asia
• Universal Human Rights Network
• European Observation Mission
• The Asia Foundation
• Socialist International
[ KATHMANDU, MARCH 03, 2008, Falgun 20, 2064]
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