The United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) has welcomed the announcement of the date for the Constituent Assembly (CA) election in Nepal.

Issuing a press release Monday, the UN body said, “This (announcement of CA election) is a critical step in the peace process, and indicates the strong commitment of the political parties to work together to fulfill the historic promise to the people of Nepal to form a democratically elected Constituent Assembly.”

The UNMIN further stated that its presence in Nepal and all aspects of its work are “for the purpose of assisting in creating a free and fair atmosphere for this election”, and that it is “strongly committed to the achievement of this objective.”

“It is essential that all parties commit themselves to addressing the considerable challenges that remain in order to create a free and fair atmosphere for the ballot.”

Maintaining that the announcement of the election date was not in itself sufficient, the UNMIN stressed upon the need of political parties to put forth “a realistic plan and timetable to achieve rapid progress on simultaneous fronts, both technical and logistical as well as on political and security issues.”

It also urged the government to hold dialogue with historically marginalised groups — Madhesis, Janajatis, Dalits, women and others, as it is “essential to ensure that there is a broad consensus among all elements of the electorate on the electoral system”.

Stating that it is very important that the government forms a fully independent national monitoring body to support peace process implementation, the UNMIN said that is willing to provide assistance to such a body which is established independently.

“It is essential that all parties commit themselves to dialogue as the means to work through differences without violence, that the Interim Government take necessary action to guarantee public security through professional law enforcement, and that all parties fulfill their commitments in order to promote an atmosphere of political tolerance in which a conducive climate for the election can be created,” the release added.

Meanwhile, welcoming the announcement of date for the Constituent Assembly election in Nepal, India has said it is an important step towards institutionalizing democracy in Nepal.

“The announcement of the date for constituent assembly election is an important step towards institutionalizing democracy, peace and development,” India’s external affairs ministry spokesperson said in New Delhi Monday.