BAN KI-MOON CONGRATULATES NEPALESE ON HISTORIC ELECTIONS

BAN KI-MOON CONGRATULATES NEPALESE ON HISTORIC ELECTIONS New York, Apr 10 2008 3:00PM United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has commended the people of Nepal for what he called their "enthusiastic participation" in today's Constituent Assembly elections.

In a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3093">statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban said that the elections "took place in a generally orderly and peaceful atmosphere," and appealed to all parties to remain calm while awaiting results.

On the eve of the election, Mr. Ban's Special Representative in Nepal, Ian Martin, said preparations were in good order, despite some serious acts of violence and violations of human rights during the election campaign.

Mr. Martin had been criss-crossing the country in the past weeks to check on preparations and stress the responsibility of all parties to shun violence and abide by all agreements for free and fair polls.

Once elected, the Constituent Assembly will be tasked with drafting a new constitution for the country, which has emerged from a decade-long civil war that claimed an estimated 13,000 lives before the Government and Maoist rebels signed a peace accord in 2006.
2008-04-10 00:00:00.000

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