Kathmandu, March 26

The CPN-UML and the Nepali Congress have condemned the European Union Election Observation Mission’s recent election report.

Foreign Department of the UML issued a press release today, saying the EUEOM violated international rules and principles by recommending that the Nepal government amend, among other things, the Constitution of Nepal to the effect of removing the proportional inclusion guarantee provided to the group called Khasa-Arya, along with other population groups, with a view to ensuring their proportional representation in the Parliament of Nepal.

Spokesperson for the NC Bishwa Prakash Sharma said the party’s serious attention was drawn to the EUEOM report and his party would issue a written statement tomorrow.

“EUEOM had come to observe the elections, but it violated its mandate by commenting on the contents of the constitution,” he added. Two NC leaders — Ramesh Lekhak and Dr Shekhar Koirala — who spoke in the party’s Central Working Committee meeting also condemned the EUEOM report.

The UML said the EUEOM report required serious scrutiny of its legitimacy under prevailing international laws, Nepal’s foreign relations practices with other countries, and general diplomatic norms and practices.

The UML said that according to the Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of the States, 1933, customary international law, under article 1, Nepal is an international person with equal juridical status with other members of the international community.

“Under Article 3 and 4 of the convention, Nepal is fully capable of determining or choosing its political, administrative, economic and legal and constitutional systems independently,” the UML said in its release, “Under Article 8 of the convention, any interference or attempt to interfere by any other state in such matters is against international laws.”

The UML said that in light of international rules and principles, it found that the EUEOM statement was a blatant violation of the political independence of Nepal which is protected by the Charter of the UN and other intentional laws, including customary international laws.

The UML said that the statement issued under the banner of “European Union Election Observation Mission” thus cannot dictate or suggest to the Government of Nepal in pretence of the Election Observation Recommendations to alter the constitution of Nepal promulgated by the sovereign body of the people of Nepal. “Therefore, the statement is not only unacceptable but also condemnable in accordance with the prevailing international laws,” the party added.  The UML said it fully supported the Nepal government’s stand in that regard and urged it to think seriously to stop such incidents in future.