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Subhadayak Shah
Chief of Operations
DEAN Secretariat

The Democracy and Elections Alliance Nepal (DEAN) deployed 9393 observers in all 75 districts of Nepal to monitor the historic April 10 Constituent Assembly elections.

The rate of voter turnout in the DEAN observed poll centers that reported today was 59.39 percent. The highest turnout was 90 percent, in Rukum, and the lowest was 43 percent in Baitadi. In the 1991, 1994, 1999 elections the average turnout was 62, 65, and 68 percent.

Of reports received, DEAN observers report that thirty six districts were free of reported incidents, thirteen experienced minor incidents that can be classed as normal, and twenty two experienced serious incidents. Polling was canceled in at least thirty three polling centers due to irregularities including killings, the capturing of poll centers by political parties, explosions, gun shots, and the destruction of ballot boxes and other polling material.

Four deaths have been reported by DEAN volunteers, in Sarlahi, Sunsari and Mahottari districts. Thirty one people were reported wounded, including two DEAN volunteers, who were hurt in separate incidents in Jumla and Mahottari.

Despite the incidents detailed above, most DEAN observers reported the overall security situation they observed was relatively normal.

DEAN will continue to monitor the elections through to the conclusion of the counting process, and to track incidents of political and election related violence. A more complete assessment of the quality of the election process will be released once full reports are received from observers in the coming days.

Background

The Democracy and Election Alliance Nepal (DEAN) was established in June 2007 with to safeguard the political rights of the people and to advocate for free and fair election. DEAN is dedicated to the support of political reforms and to engage marginalized people in the mainstream of politics. DEAN has a nationwide network of 12,000 volunteers, a secretariat in Kathmandu, three regional offices, and 480 focal points working as long term Constituent Assembly election observers since September 2007. DEAN receives technical support from the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and IFES, and financial support from USAID.

DEAN is a non-partisan, volunteer based alliance of the Nepal Law Society (NLS), the Federation of Community Forestry User Groups (FECOFUN), and the Nepal International Electoral Forum (NIEFO). NLS has observed elections in Nepal in 1991, 1994 and 1999. FECOFUN is the largest Nepali community based organization, with hundreds of thousands of members across the country. NIEFO has expertise in international election planning, design, implementation, and observation; its members have conducted elections with the United Nations in Cambodia, East Timor, and Iraq.

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Released 10 April