Nepal's Forthcoming Elections: What the U.S. Can

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 001590

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SA/INS AND DRL/PHD
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV EAID PREL PHUM NP GON
SUBJECT: Nepal's Forthcoming Elections: What the U.S. Can
Do to Help

REF: A) Kathmandu 1546, B) Kathmandu 1348


1. Nepal is preparing to hold national elections beginning
November 13, followed by local elections sometime around
April, 2003. The ongoing violent Maoist insurgency will
complicate security arrangements and increase expenditures
at a time when economic conditions are deteriorating.
Moreover, recent natural calamities resulting from
unusually heavy monsoon rains have worsened the resource
crunch. Without significant foreign support, Nepal will
not be able to hold the elections, let alone create an
environment where the results will be considered free,
fair and legitimate by the electorate.


2. Ref A related the UN's plans for election assistance
for the November Parliamentary elections and passed on its
request for aid and its call for donor nations to sponsor
election observers. Ref B related the National Election
Commission's request for material assistance.
Additionally, Post has been contacted by a number of NGOs
with proposals for election assistance. Brief summaries
are included at paragraph 4. We have ranked in priority
order those the Embassy considers the most worth funding.
These programs are ready to go, and lack only the
resources to implement them. The Embassy strongly urges
that the Department fund these programs. Most of these
programs target the national elections, and additional
resources should be added to provide similar support for
the local elections in the Spring.


3. Proposals A, B and C are expansions of existing
programs that USAID or State has already funded. If
additional money were made available for these programs,
USAID could channel the funds to the relevant
organizations with minimal paperwork. In order for USAID
to obligate funds this fiscal year to the proposed
programs, specific approved funding levels have to be
notified to Congress by September 3.


4. Proposals to support elections in Nepal:


A. Local-level Public Meetings ($75,000)
The Asia Foundation (TAF)
USAID is already providing TAF $125,000 for this project.
An additional $75,000 would allow for two meetings per
constituency instead of one, and for the program to be
extended to twenty additional constituencies, for a total
of 170 instead of 150 of Nepal's total of 205
constituencies.


B. Voter Education ($255,000)
National Democratic Institute (NDI)
USAID is already providing NDI $125,000 for this project.
An additional $255,000 will allow additional voter
education materials to be provided in all of Nepal's 75
districts, and for ten local NGOs to conduct village-level
campaigns using NDI materials.


C. Expansion of Electoral Observer Program (No Estimate)
Consortium for Elections and Political Process
Strengthening (CEPPS)
Post has tagged $164,000 of FY 2002 ESF monies for
international, regional or local observers funded through
USAID's CEPPS program. Additional funding would allow for
more election observers. Post notes that it is still
awaiting Department approval of its requested ESF funding
for FY 2002.


D. Regional International Observers (94,000)
TAF, through the Bangkok-based Asian Network for Free
Elections (ANFREL),would provide thirty observers from
South, Southeast and East Asia. [Note: As with D, E and
F, below, cost includes $38,000 for an International
Elections Consultant (IEC). Were more than one of these
four programs to be funded, the IEC cost could be shared
among them. End Note.]


E. Local Long-term International Observers ($255,000)
TAF would train and deploy twenty-five locally-based
expatriates as observers over the course of the elections,
estimated at six weeks. [Note: The International
Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) and the Carter
Center have also expressed interest in sending
international observers, but have not yet offered an
estimate of projected expenses. End Note.]


F. Expatriate Election-day Observers ($46,000)
TAF would organize and deploy volunteer expatriate
observers on election day only.


G. Election Monitoring ($355,000)
NDI would support a total of about 25 individuals,
including long-term, short-term and post-election
monitors, and one-day training workshops on poll
monitoring for political parties and NGOs. [Note: Funds
in support of this program could be channeled through
USAID's central electoral support project (CEPPF). End
Note.]


H. Regional Election Reporting ($30,000)
TAF would support the Center for Investigative Journalism
in Nepal to establish a special cell for election
coverage.


5. It is clearly in the USG interest to support the
holding of free and fair elections at this critical period
of Nepal's democratic development. Both domestic and
international resources committed to date are inadequate
to meet the requirements of two major sets of elections
within six months. Post urges immediate consideration of
additional funding to enable the USG to demonstrate its
support for Nepal's fledgling democracy.

MALINOWSKI