Kathmandu, July 25

A two-day workshop called the ‘Regional Workshop on Electoral Dispute Resolution and Electoral Justice’ adopted a 9-point Kathmandu Outcome to highlight the need for having strong mechanisms to resolve electoral disputes.

The Kathmandu outcome states that electoral dispute resolution mechanism should be prioritised in all election management bodies to ensure the right of people to elect and be elected, and disputes must be resolved promptly in a fair and transparent manner contributing to electoral integrity.

The Kathmandu outcome also states that the electoral dispute settlement mechanism should be effective in contributing to the enhancement of credibility and the general acceptance of elections at all levels.

“Laws and mechanisms on dispute resolution should be simple and concise for electoral stakeholders to understand and practice efficiently,” the Outcome states, “To ensure the common goal of free and fair elections along with accessible electoral justice system, the concerned election management bodies need to establish robust collaboration, sharing, and partnership between and among them.”

The programme was organised by the Election Commission of Nepal with the aim of sharing knowledge, experience and best practices regarding electoral dispute resolution and electoral justice system in the course of managing elections.

According to a press release issued by ECN, eight members of the Forum of Election Management Bodies of South Asia, namely, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, along with the Republic of Korea participated in the workshop.

The workshop was inaugurated by Chief Justice of Nepal Sushila Karki in the presence of high dignitaries of the government, and election commissioners from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Maldives, high level officials from other EMBs, heads and representatives from various diplomatic missions in Kathmandu, development partners, and other stakeholders.

In her inaugural address, the chief guest stressed the need of an effective electoral justice mechanism for free and fair elections.

Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhi Prasad Yadav stated that the outcome of the workshop would be a milestone in enhancing free and fair elections in Nepal in the days to come.

Likewise, Election Commissioner Ila Sharma highlighted the objectives of the workshop.

During the workshop, former chief election commissioner Bhoj Raj Pokhrel presented a thematic paper on the subject highlighting regional and global perspectives of election dispute resolution and election justice.

Some participants from the region also presented papers on their country’s perspective. There was an intensive discussion on the issues of election dispute resolution and election justice among participants from the representatives of the respective EMBs, high level officials of ECN, former Election Commissioners, former secretaries, and representatives from political parties, lawmakers, lawyers, development partners and the media.