The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) for the elections to the House of Representatives and State Assemblies has been officially launched today.

At a press conference organised here on Tuesday, Chief Observer, Zeljana Zovko, a member of the European Parliament from Croatia launched the Mission.

On the occasion, Zovko said, "It is a great privilege to have been given this opportunity to lead the EU Election Observation Mission to Nepal. The elections scheduled on November 26 and December 7 mark an important stage in Nepal's democratic development and I very much hope that our presence will contribute to an inclusive and transparent electoral process."

Zovko explained that the mandate of EU EOM is to observe all aspects of the electoral process and to assess the extent to which the elections are in compliance with the law of Nepal, as well as with international and regional commitments for democratic elections to which Nepal is a signatory.

The Chief Observer said that observers would visit all provinces and would meet election officers, candidates and representatives of civil society and would submit report to main team in Kathmandu.

Stating that over 100 election observers will be there in the both rounds of the elections, she expressed her hope that election observers would maintain strict neutrality and impartiality in course of their work as they adhere to a strict code of conduct for international election observers. RSS

The European Parliament member and the diplomats from the Kathmandu-based Embassy of European Union will be also part of the mission. Shortly after the second and final phase of the elections, the mission will issue a preliminary statement incorporating of its initial findings.

The mission will be here until the completion of the electoral process.