UN secretary-general welcomes holding of state, federal elections in Nepal

KATHMANDU, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday welcomed the holding of two-phased state and federal elections in Nepal which was concluded this week.

In a statement, the UN secretary-general congratulated the people of Nepal on the peaceful conduct of the polls, hoping that all parties will maintain the same spirit in the next stages of the electoral process.

"These elections mark a historic moment for Nepal in implementing its federal structure as enshrined in the 2015 Constitution," UN Secretary-General's spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in the statement on behalf of the secretary-general.

The secretary-general also encouraged the Nepalese government, political parties and civil society leaders to continue their efforts towards furthering inclusive and representative governance. " The United Nations stands ready to support such efforts," he stated in the press statement.

Nepal had held the second and the final phase of the parliamentary and provincial assembly elections on Dec. 7 which has been seen as a crucial step to implement the milestone new constitution promulgated in the country two years ago.

More than 12 million Nepalese took part in the one-day election held in 45 districts of the southern plains and low hill areas including Kathmandu to elect 128 lawmakers.

Nepali people also voted to elect 330 candidates to form provincial assemblies in seven provinces, while another 220 provincial lawmakers will be elected later.

Earlier, Nepal had held the first phase of parliamentary and provincial assembly elections in 32 mountainous and hilly districts on Nov. 26. Nepal has already held local elections this year electing local bodies across the country. Enditem