Kathmandu, September 15

As the voting for the new constitution continues in the Constituent Assembly, the United States said it recognised the ‘utmost importance of this voting process for the Nepali people’, but stated that the new statute should garner the broadest possible public support and ensure fundamental rights.

“The United States recognises the utmost importance of this process for the Nepali people and for cementing Nepal’s democratic transition and providing the foundation for economic development,’ US State Department Spokesperson John Kirby said in a press statement in Washington DC late yesterday.

“The constitution should have the broadest possible support and the outcome should honour fundamental rights such as gender equality and basic freedoms,’ he added.

The spokesperson further said the US hoped that the new document would embrace the “creativity, inclusiveness, and flexibility” that would build a peaceful and prosperous Nepal, adding that the US was closely following the debate as Nepal approaches the final stages of drafting and promulgating its constitution.

Implying the recent protests that turned violent in parts of Tarai districts, the US government also urged all citizens to engage through peaceful, non-violent means, and called on the Nepali security forces to exercise restraint in responding to protests.

The United States’ statement came while the CA voting process continued in the Constituent Assembly — and was typically followed by a midnight statement from the External Affairs Minister of India calling Nepali stakeholders to be flexible in resolving outstanding issues through dialogue so as to maintain communal harmony among Nepalis.