KATHMANDU, MARCH 8
Rights activists who monitored the House of Representatives election held on March 5 said that the polling centres were not gender-friendly, disability-friendly, or inclusive. Worst still, some polling officers held some polling officers held negative views about women accused the election monitor of appeasing their foreign donors.
At the event where the preliminary election observation report was made public-prepared by 15 different non-governmental organizations under the leadership of the Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD)-participants said that the government employees' work at polling centres was not carried out according to the guidelines prepared by the Election Commission, and that further analysis of polling centers is necessary.
FWLD Advocate Sagar Pathak presented the report saying that the brief monitoring report was prepared by observing the polling locations before voting, during the voting process, and the vote counting process using the gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) observation method.
Pathak informed that the report was prepared through direct observation of 160 polling booths in 24 districts across seven provinces. He also said that the observers received approval from the Election Commission late, which left insufficient time for preparation. However, 160 observers were trained and deployed to polling centers in all seven provinces.
FWLD Executive Director and advocate Sabin Shrestha said that polling centers were not prepared according to the guidelines issued by the Election Commission.
He stated, "We did not find polling stations that met the minimum standards. Since polling centers themselves lacked sufficient information, it is necessary to conduct detailed analysis of polling centers in the future."
According to Executive Director Shrestha, although separate lines were arranged for men and women at most polling stations, other groups were neglected. He also pointed out several shortcomings, including lack of first aid services, absence of drinking water facilities, no breastfeeding rooms, no rest areas, polling stations not being disability-friendly and lack of proper attention to exit routes after voting for elderly and disabled voters.
During the program, senior advocate Mira Dhungana shared her experiences from the observation process. She said that even those polling stations that appeared somewhat women-friendly, they gave insufficient attention to the exit routes after voting.
TEWA's representative Rita Thapa and observers found disorganized queues for voters, different treatment toward female police officers, and rude behavior from polling officers.
Similarly, Bindra Maharjan from the organization Campaign for Peace said that foreign observers were given more importance than Nepali observers.
Likewise, Susmita Shrestha, President of the Women with Disabilities Association, stated that polling centers were not disability-friendly.
