Kathmandu, April 8:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that Nepal’s political leaders must ensure that the Constituent Assembly election is free, fair and credible. He also urged Nepali people to grasp the ‘historic milestone’ in the peace process.

In a message taped yesterday, the UN Secretary-General said it was his fervent hope that the polls are a success, especially given the efforts so far by Nepali political leaders to reach this point.

“They now have a critical responsibility to ensure that voters can freely exercise their democratic right in a secret ballot, without fear of violence, intimidation or manipulation,” he said. “So much hinges on the success of the election, and the acceptance by all of the will of the people.”

Ban said the election is an opportunity not only to reinvigorate democracy, and uphold the centrality of human rights, but also to further cement the peace process. “This Constituent Assembly election is a historic milestone for the people of Nepal. You have waited long and patiently for this day to come.”

He also noted that the international community was closely following the election process, including through the presence of hundreds of election observers.

Meanwhile, 15 countries including major donors like the US, European countries and Japan and the European Commission today called on all stakeholders to put an end to violence ahead of the constituent assembly election so that Nepali people could cast their votes without any fear.

Issuing a joint statement, ambassadors, charges d’affaires and representatives of these countries and the Commission have stated that they were deeply concerned about the election violence, including killings, abductions, disturbances and intimidation, which continue to take place in parts of the country despite the agreement among the parties to end violence.

They also deplored the recent blasts in Kathmandu and elsewhere and condemned those who seek to disrupt the election. “It is critically important that this violence stopped, so that the people of Nepal are able to choose their new representatives, free from fear and threats,” the release added.

Stating that they were glad to support the election politically, diplomatically, financially and through the deployment of impartial international observers, they added that it was essential that all observers are able to do their job safely, without obstruction or interference.

They also urged the parties to remain patient and to abide by the established mechanisms of dispute settlement during the period between the Election Day and the final announcement of the results and formation of the constituent assembly.

The statement was issued by the British embassy on behalf of Australia, Canada, Denmark, European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, the UK and the US.