NEPAL: UN EXPERT MONITORING TEAM COMPLETES FIRST

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 001228 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/21/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER KDEM NP SUBJECT: NEPAL: UN EXPERT MONITORING TEAM COMPLETES FIRST VISIT Classified By: Ambassador James Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) The Team Leader of the United Nations Electoral Expert Monitoring Team told the Ambassador on June 20 that he was optimistic about the progress NEPAL was making in preparing for a Constituent Assembly (CA) election in November. Dr. Rafael Lopez-Pintor was satisfied with the recently enacted legislation and agreed with the Ambassador that the new CA Members Election Act would help to ensure a more inclusive process. They concurred as well on the need for better security. Lopez-Pintor stated that he and his team would return to NEPAL approximately every six weeks and would report to the United Nations Secretary General. UN Expert Monitoring Team Optimistic -------------- 2.(C) In a meeting on June 20, Dr. Rafael Lopez-Pintor, Leader of the United Nations Electoral Expert Monitoring Team, expressed optimism to the Ambassador that NEPAL seemed to be moving in the right direction to prepare for a Constituent Assembly election in November. The Electoral Expert Monitoring Team, comprising five members, had met with the Election Commission and other concerned parties, including the Prime Minister, during its first visit and had explained the international principles that it would use to measure the success of the election. Dr. Lopez-Pintor was satisfied with the legislative framework that the Interim Government had recently put in place, noting that it was "rather standard." He agreed with the Ambassador that the amendments to the Interim Constitution passed by the Interim Parliament on June 13 had helped to move the election process forward by enhancing the powers of Parliament, providing for the possible abolition of the monarchy, and allowing the date of the Constituent Assembly election to be changed. Constituent Assembly Members Election Act: "A Good Step" -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) Both the Ambassador and Dr. Lopez-Pintor agreed that the June 14 Constituent Assembly Members Election Act would help to make this election significantly more inclusive of minority groups than past elections. The Ambassador did say, however, that the Act's provision for the political parties to decide which minority candidates would be seated in the Assembly after the election could prove problematic. The Ambassador was pleased to note, however, that neither the Madhesi nor the Janajati community had voiced public disapproval of the Act since its passage. Dr. Lopez-Pintor concurred with the Ambassador that the security situation had to improve and that abuses by the Young Communist League must cease if NEPAL was to hold a free and fair election in November. The Ambassador also asserted that a postponement in the election date would give the Maoists more of an opportunity to derail the process. Team Will Report to Secretary General -------------- ¶4. (C) Dr. Lopez-Pintor explained to the Ambassador that the United Nations Expert Monitoring Team would return to NEPAL approximately every one and a half months until the Constituent Assembly election. The team would report directly to the UN Secretary General, who in turn would brief the UN Security Council. Dr. Lopez-Pintor pointed out that the team itself would not make any of its reporting public, as that was at the discretion of the UN Security Council. The Ambassador told Dr. Lopez-Pintor that the team's work could be very beneficial, as it would be helpful to gauge key indicators for free and fair elections, such as freedom of the press and respect for minorities, leading up to the Constituent Assembly vote. Comment KATHMANDU 00001228 002 OF 002 -------------- ¶5. (C) The UN Electoral Monitoring Team is reporting directly to the UN Secretary Council to avoid any conflict of interest with the UN Mission in Nepal, which is advising the Election Commission. Five people, no matter how experienced (which Lopez-Pintor and his team are),cannot substitute for the impact of a robust corps of domestic and international election observers. What the team will be able to do, however, is closely monitor and report to the UN Secretary General and by extension the UN Security Council on the fairness of the election mechanisms as a whole, particularly in Kathmandu. We welcome the UN's willingness to fill this role. MORIARTY