On May 11 midnight began the silence period for the first phase of local election in Nepal. 4,556,525 registered voters were called upon to elect candidates for 13,556 positions in 283 local bodies of 34 districts in province 3, 4, and 6 on May 14, 2017. According to the Election Commission voter turnout stood at 71 percent of registered voters. Despite various incidents, some involving deadly violence, both the Election Commission of Nepal and National Human Rights Commission in the evening of May 14 concluded that the first phase of election had been relatively peaceful.

This pre-election statement focuses on a few key findings identified by observers since May 1. A more comprehensive preliminary statement of observer findings will be released after the elections, and a final observation report will be released at the completion of observation.

The Kathmandu Post Democracy Resource Center Nepal (DRCN) has lauded the ongoing dialogue about local…