Description
The International Election Observation Mission of the Asian Network for Free Elections to the Federal Republic of Nepal’s 2017 Provincial and National Assembly Elections
STUDY MISSION REPORT
An Analysis of Campaign Finance and CSO Operations in the 2017 Elections
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), continuing its efforts to support the democratization process in Nepal, deployed a five-member study team of international election observers to undertake an independent assessment of key components of the electoral process during Nepal’s 2017 House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly Elections.
The team launched their study mission upon arrival in Kathmandu on 21 November 2017 and concluded on 10 December 2017. The mission’s aims were to contribute to the strengthening of Nepal’s electoral process and overall promotion of democracy; to enhance the cooperation of international and domestic observation groups by exploring possible areas for collaboration and future engagements; and to provide recommendations based on the most significant issues affecting the overall credibility and integrity of the electoral process.
The study team focused its work on assessing two electoral components, campaign finance and the role of election monitoring groups. Owing to the limited number of team members that ANFREL was able to deploy, an initial assessment of Nepal’s context was undertaken in order to determine the electoral issues on which the team could have the most impact.
The elections generally preceded peacefully and smoothly, although not free from procedural glitches that can be limited in the future through capacity building efforts by the election management body.