Japan said on Tuesday it appreciated the successful holding local polls in Nepal.

The last leg of local elections concluded on Monday in Province 2. Japan had sent an election observation team consisting of members from the Embassy of Japan and

the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the local polls.

“Based on the results of the observations,” the Embassy of Japan said in a statement on Tuesday, “Japan appreciates that, overall, the local elections were conducted in a peaceful and fair manner.”

“Japan would like to pay its sincere respects to the people of Nepal who contributed to the successful holding of local elections after a break of 20 years,” the statement added. “This is a significant progress towards the implementation of the constitution that was promulgated in 2015.”

The first and second phases of local elections were held on May 14 and June 28. The provincial and federal elections are scheduled for November 26 and December 7.

“Japan expects that these elections will also be conducted in a peaceful and fair manner through the experiences gained from the local elections,” added the embassy statement. “Japan is committed to supporting the government of Nepal to the best possible extent.”