NEPAL: ELECTION SITREP THREE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000402 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM NP SUBJECT: NEPAL: ELECTION SITREP THREE KATHMANDU 00000402 001.2 OF 002 C O R R E C T E D C O P Y TO ADD SIPDIS CAPTION REF A: KATHMANDU 400; REF B: KATHMANDU 401 Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) SINCE OUR LAST SITREP (B),TWO ADDITIONAL REPORTS OF SIGNIFICANT VIOLENCE HAVE OCCURRED. THE ELECTION COMMISSION HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE AT 1830 AND ANNOUNCED THAT VOTER TURNOUT IS ESTIMATED TO HAVE BEEN 60% AND THE ELECTION WAS, OVERALL, SATISFACTORY, SUCCESSFUL, AND MOSTLY PEACEFUL. ALL U.S. MISSION OBSERVER PERSONNEL ARE SAFE AND ACCOUNTED FOR. ADDITIONAL REPORTS OF VIOLENCE AND TAMPERING -------------- ¶2. (U) TWO ADDITIONAL REPORTS OF SERIOUS VIOLENCE CAME IN SINCE REF B. INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE SAMBHU PRASAD SINGH WAS SHOT IN SARLAHI DISTRICT AND HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO KATHMANDU FOR TREATMENT. IN THE RATAULI VDC OF MAHOTTARI (SOUTH CENTRAL NEPAL),UML MEMBER BISHAWA NATH THAKUR DIED DURING A CLASH BETWEEN THE YCL AND UML SUPPORTERS. IN DAILEKH (WESTERN NEPAL),MEDIA SOURCES REPORTED THAT UNIDENTIFIED PERSONS STOLE TWO BALLOT BOXES AFTER POLLS CLOSED AND ONE WAS REPORTED DESTROYED. ELECTION COMMISSION ASSESSMENT -------------- ¶3. (U) AT A PRESS CONFERENCE AT 1830 HOURS LOCAL, CHIEF ELECTION COMMISSIONER BHOJRAJ POKHAREL CHARACTERIZED THE ELECTION, OVERALL, AS SATISFACTORY, SUCCESSFUL, AND MOSTLY PEACEFUL. POKHREL MENTIONED THAT CONGRATULATIONS HAVE ALREADY STARTED COMING IN FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AND INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS. HE FURTHER ANNOUNCED THAT A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF REGISTERED VOTERS TURNED OUT TO VOTE: 60% AVERAGE OVERALL, WITH THE EXACT FIGURE TO BE RELEASED AFTER A FINAL COUNT IS COMPLETED. POKHREL ENCOURAGED THE MEDIA NOT TO FOCUS ON STATISTICS, BUT TO OBSERVE THE NATIONAL MOOD. HE COMMENTED THAT HE SAW GREAT ENTHUSIASM AMONG VOTERS. ¶4. (U) ACCORDING TO POKHAREL, OUT OF 21,882 POLLING PLACES ACROSS NEPAL, DISTURBANCES CAUSED 33 INDIVIDUAL POLLING STATIONS TO SUSPEND VOTING. SEVEN OF THOSE WERE IN SIRAHA DISTRICT. POKHREL COMMENTED THAT THIS NUMBER WAS FAR FEWER THAN HAD OCCURRED IN THE 1999 ELECTION. RE-POLLING WILL BE CONDUCTED LATER DATE, TO BE DETERMINED. ¶5. (U) POKHAREL SAID THAT WITHIN 10 DAYS, MOST RESULTS FROM TODAY'S COMPLETED POLLS WOULD BE KNOWN. BALLOT BOXES FROM REMOTE AREAS WILL BE BROUGHT TO THEIR RESPECTIVE DISTRICT HEADQUARTERS AND COUNTED ACCORDING TO THE LOCAL ELECTION OFFICIAL'S SCHEDULE. RESULTS FOR KATHMANDU-1 (THE ONLY CONSTITUENCY TO VOTE ELECTRONICALLY) MAY BE KNOWN AS SOON AS MIDNIGHT TONIGHT AND WILL POSTED ON THE ELECTION COMMISSION'S WEBSITE (WWW.ELECTION.GOV.NP) ¶6. (SBU) POKHAREL FURTHER STATED THAT TWO PERSONS HAD BEEN CONFIRMED KILLED IN ELECTION DAY VIOLENCE BUT MORE CASUALTIES MAY BECOME KNOWN. THIS INFORMATION WILL ALSO BE POSTED TO THE EC'S WEBSITE. SOME COMPLAINTS OF BOOTH CAPTURING HAVE BEEN LODGED WITH THE EC (ARMY SOURCES STATE THAT 90% OF INCIDENCES OF POLL BOOTH CAPTURES WERE CONDUCTED BY THE MAOISTS.) THEY WILL BE HANDLED ACCORDING TO NEPALI LAW. HE FURTHER COMMENTED THAT THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS IS FAR FEWER THAN HAD BEEN EXPECTED. ¶7. (U) THE THIRTY THREE U.S. MISSION PERSONNEL THAT HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED AROUND THE KATHMANDU VALLEY AND ACROSS NEPAL TO MONITOR ELECTIONS ACTIVITY ARE ALL SAFE AND ACCOUNTED FOR. KATHMANDU 00000402 002.2 OF 002 C O R R E C T E D C O P Y TO ADD SIPDIS CAPTION ¶8. (U) EMBASSY KATHMANDU IS STANDING DOWN ITS ELECTION OBSERVATION FOR THE NIGHT AT 2030 LOCAL (1045 AM EASTERN STANDARD). IT WILL REOPEN AT 0700 LOCAL FRIDAY MORNING, APRIL 11, AS THE COUNTING BEGINS. POWELL