Columbia International Affairs Online: Working Papers

CIAO DATE: 04/2011

Final Report on Observing Nepal's 2008 Constituent Assembly Election

November 2008

The Carter Center

Abstract

Nepal’s constituent assembly (CA) election is an important milestone on the country’s path to permanent peace and prosperity. The Nepali people have demonstrated their dedication to ending the decade-long conflict and their interest in a new and inclusive leadership that will tackle the difficult issues involved in drafting a new constitution and restructuring the Nepali state, and will work to address the critical need for poverty alleviation and widespread development in Nepal. For the first time in Nepal’s electoral history, significant affirmative-action measures to include representatives of marginalized groups (e.g., women, Madhesis, Janajatis, Dalits, and others) were undertaken. Final election results indicate efforts to achieve diversity in the CA were successful, with women and minorities holding record numbers in the new assembly.