VZCZCXRO9803
PP RUEHBI RUEHCI
DE RUEHKT #0402/01 1011405
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 101405Z APR 08 ZDS ZDS ZDS
FM AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8302
INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 2346
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 2022
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 4769
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 6733
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 5982
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6416
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 0085
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 4117
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 3818
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000402 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL: ELECTION SITREP THREE 
 
KATHMANDU 00000402  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y 
TO ADD SIPDIS CAPTION 
 
REF A:  KATHMANDU 400; REF B: KATHMANDU 401 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (U) SINCE OUR LAST SITREP (B), TWO ADDITIONAL 
REPORTS OF SIGNIFICANT VIOLENCE HAVE OCCURRED.  THE 
ELECTION COMMISSION HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE AT 1830 
AND ANNOUNCED THAT VOTER TURNOUT IS ESTIMATED TO 
HAVE BEEN 60% AND THE ELECTION WAS, OVERALL, 
SATISFACTORY, SUCCESSFUL, AND MOSTLY PEACEFUL. ALL 
U.S. MISSION OBSERVER PERSONNEL ARE SAFE AND 
ACCOUNTED FOR. 
 
ADDITIONAL REPORTS OF VIOLENCE AND TAMPERING 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) TWO ADDITIONAL REPORTS OF SERIOUS VIOLENCE 
CAME IN SINCE REF B. INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE SAMBHU 
PRASAD SINGH WAS SHOT IN SARLAHI DISTRICT AND HAS 
BEEN BROUGHT TO KATHMANDU FOR TREATMENT.  IN THE 
RATAULI VDC OF MAHOTTARI (SOUTH CENTRAL NEPAL), UML 
MEMBER BISHAWA NATH THAKUR DIED DURING A CLASH 
BETWEEN THE YCL AND UML SUPPORTERS.  IN DAILEKH 
(WESTERN NEPAL), MEDIA SOURCES REPORTED THAT 
UNIDENTIFIED PERSONS STOLE TWO BALLOT BOXES AFTER 
POLLS CLOSED AND ONE WAS REPORTED DESTROYED. 
 
ELECTION COMMISSION ASSESSMENT 
------------------------------ 
 
¶3. (U) AT A PRESS CONFERENCE AT 1830 HOURS LOCAL, CHIEF 
ELECTION COMMISSIONER BHOJRAJ POKHAREL CHARACTERIZED 
THE ELECTION, OVERALL, AS SATISFACTORY, SUCCESSFUL, 
AND MOSTLY PEACEFUL.  POKHREL MENTIONED THAT 
CONGRATULATIONS HAVE ALREADY STARTED COMING IN FROM 
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AND INTERNATIONAL 
OBSERVERS. HE FURTHER ANNOUNCED THAT A HIGH 
PERCENTAGE OF REGISTERED VOTERS TURNED OUT TO VOTE: 
60% AVERAGE OVERALL, WITH THE EXACT FIGURE TO BE 
RELEASED AFTER A FINAL COUNT IS COMPLETED.  POKHREL 
ENCOURAGED THE MEDIA NOT TO FOCUS ON STATISTICS, BUT 
TO OBSERVE THE NATIONAL MOOD.  HE COMMENTED THAT HE 
SAW GREAT ENTHUSIASM AMONG VOTERS. 
 
¶4. (U) ACCORDING TO POKHAREL, OUT OF 21,882 POLLING 
PLACES ACROSS NEPAL, DISTURBANCES CAUSED 33 
INDIVIDUAL POLLING STATIONS TO SUSPEND VOTING. 
SEVEN OF THOSE WERE IN SIRAHA DISTRICT.  POKHREL 
COMMENTED THAT THIS NUMBER WAS FAR FEWER THAN HAD 
OCCURRED IN THE 1999 ELECTION.  RE-POLLING WILL BE 
CONDUCTED LATER DATE, TO BE DETERMINED. 
 
¶5. (U) POKHAREL SAID THAT WITHIN 10 DAYS, MOST 
RESULTS FROM TODAY'S COMPLETED POLLS WOULD BE KNOWN. 
BALLOT BOXES FROM REMOTE AREAS WILL BE BROUGHT TO 
THEIR RESPECTIVE DISTRICT HEADQUARTERS AND COUNTED 
ACCORDING TO THE LOCAL ELECTION OFFICIAL'S SCHEDULE. 
RESULTS FOR KATHMANDU-1 (THE ONLY CONSTITUENCY TO 
VOTE ELECTRONICALLY) MAY BE KNOWN AS SOON AS 
MIDNIGHT TONIGHT AND WILL POSTED ON THE ELECTION 
COMMISSION'S WEBSITE (WWW.ELECTION.GOV.NP) 
 
¶6.  (SBU) POKHAREL FURTHER STATED THAT TWO PERSONS 
HAD BEEN CONFIRMED KILLED IN ELECTION DAY VIOLENCE 
BUT MORE CASUALTIES MAY BECOME KNOWN. THIS 
INFORMATION WILL ALSO BE POSTED TO THE EC'S WEBSITE. 
SOME COMPLAINTS OF BOOTH CAPTURING HAVE BEEN LODGED 
WITH THE EC (ARMY SOURCES STATE THAT 90% OF 
INCIDENCES OF POLL BOOTH CAPTURES WERE CONDUCTED BY 
THE MAOISTS.)  THEY WILL BE HANDLED ACCORDING TO 
NEPALI LAW.  HE FURTHER COMMENTED THAT THE NUMBER OF 
COMPLAINTS IS FAR FEWER THAN HAD BEEN EXPECTED. 
 
¶7. (U) THE THIRTY THREE U.S. MISSION PERSONNEL THAT 
HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED AROUND THE KATHMANDU VALLEY AND 
ACROSS NEPAL TO MONITOR ELECTIONS ACTIVITY ARE ALL 
SAFE AND ACCOUNTED FOR. 
 
 
KATHMANDU 00000402  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y 
TO ADD SIPDIS CAPTION 
 
¶8. (U) EMBASSY KATHMANDU IS STANDING DOWN ITS 
ELECTION OBSERVATION FOR THE NIGHT AT 2030 LOCAL 
(1045 AM EASTERN STANDARD).  IT WILL REOPEN AT 0700 
LOCAL FRIDAY MORNING, APRIL 11, AS THE COUNTING 
BEGINS. 
 
POWELL