Saturday, February 11 2006 17:05 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kathmandu: Strongly objecting to the international criticism over the recent Municipal polls, Nepal's Royal Government today (Feb 11 2006) asked the countries to refrain from making 'insolent', 'baseless' and 'unacceptable' comments on its 'domestic' matter.

The Government "finds the statements made by a few countries on the municipal polls in Nepal as totally objectionable thus unacceptable and asks them to refrain from making such insolent comments on matters that fall within the domestic jurisdiction of a sovereign country," Nepalese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Government claimed the elections, which witnessed a very low voter turnout amidst an opposition boycott, were held without any incidents of rigging, booth capturing, and manipulation.

The opposition had described the local polls, the first after King Gyanendra's takeover in February last year, as "a drama to legitimise the authoritarian rule".

The royal Government said it found it "incomprehensible why some countries have gone to the extent of deploring the municipal elections instead of appreciating the sincere efforts made to put derailed democracy back on track."

Earlier, Vice Chairman of the Council of Ministers Tulsi Giri termed the comments from the international community as 'baseless' and said the Government would go on to hold Parliamentary elections.

"The claims are baseless. They have been lying and their comments are a part of a ploy to destabilise Nepal," he told sources yesterday.