The preliminary election observation report prepared by 15 non-governmental organizations led by FWLD, which was released to the public, stated that the work was not done as per the guidelines prepared by the Election Commission.
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Although the 2082 House of Representatives elections were held peacefully and fairly, the preliminary observation report has shown that much improvement is needed in the gender, disability and inclusive-friendly process.
The preliminary observation report prepared by 15 non-governmental organizations led by the Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD) was released at a program organized in Kathmandu on Sunday. Advocate Sagar Pathak made the report public at a program organized in Kathmandu on Sunday. He said that the report was prepared by observing the polling stations, voting time and the situation of vote counting using the J-C method before the voting. According to him, there was collaboration between 15 different non-governmental organizations in the observation led by FWLD.
Pathak informed that the report was prepared after directly observing 160 booths in 24 districts of 7 provinces. The report states that 160 observers were trained and sent to polling stations in all seven provinces for observation.
FWLD Executive Director Advocate Sabin Shrestha also said that the polling stations were not prepared as per the guidelines prepared by the Election Commission. He said, ‘No polling stations were found that met the minimum standards. Since the polling stations themselves are deprived of adequate information, it is necessary to analyze the polling stations in the coming days.’
Although the lines for women and men were separate in most polling stations, others were ignored, there was no provision for first aid, there was no drinking water, breastfeeding room, rest room, the polling station was not disability-friendly, and the way back after voting was not taken into account for the elderly and the disabled, said Executive Director Shrestha.
Senior Advocate Meera Dhungana shared her experience during the observation program. She said that the polling stations were women-friendly, but the way out after voting was not taken into account.
The support organization that collaborated in the observation visited 12 different booths in 6 districts and observed. Jyoti Rana of the organization said that the voting line was disorganized, the election police were treated differently, and the rude behavior of the polling officer was observed during the observation. Similarly, Bindra Maharjan of the Peace Campaign Organization said that only foreign observers were given importance over Nepalis. Similarly, Susmita Shrestha, the president of the Mahila Apang Sangh, mentioned that the polling station was not disability-friendly.
The photos taken during the observation were displayed at the program. In which the construction of the polling station, the state of voting and the state of vote counting were shown.
