European parliament’s Lambert calls Nepal parties to set CA election date

KATHMANDU: Jean Lambert, Chairperson of the European Parliament (EP) Delegation for Relations with the Countries of South Asia has encouraged Nepal to work towards settling the outstanding issues and announcing an election date to hold the elections within 2013.

Before departing to Brussels after completing her four-day visit she issued a press statement and urged one and all to work in a creative way to hold the election within November.

Following her meetings with state authorities, the Election Commission (EC), National Human Rights Commission, the leaders of the political parties, members of the civil society as well as the international community, Lambert said, “Holding the elections before the end of 2013 will send a strong signal to the people of Nepal and to the international community that its leaders are committed to meeting the rights and aspirations of Nepali people for a stable, prosperous and democratic Nepal.”

She further added that credible, transparent and inclusive elections are essential to stabilizing the political situation, restoring crucial democratic institutions, and completing the interrelated processes of finalizing a constitution on the basis of the past achievements and securing a lasting peace.

Lambert welcomed the efforts undertaken by the Interim Election Council and the High-Level Political Committee to engage with those parties who currently have objections to the process to adopt a constructive attitude to ensure the widest possible political commitment for elections with a view to fully representing the views of the people.