The European Union warmly welcomes the fact that the Constituent Assembly elections on the 10th of April were held in a largely peaceful and orderly manner. We congratulate the people of Nepal and the electoral commission. They have shown, after ten years of internal disturbances and war, their commitment to democracy and their determination to build a new future. The 10th of April 2008 is a historic day for Nepal.
This has been Nepal's most observed election. The European Union, its member states, Norway and Switzerland, played a significant role in participating in the observation process, at the request of the Nepalese government.
The European Union calls upon the political parties of Nepal to respect the will of the people and the results. It is important to fulfil the mandate given to them through the Constituent Assembly elections.
The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia align themselves with this declaration.
* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.
