Election code of conduct comes into effect
The Election Commission Nepal (ECN) implemented the 'Election Code of Conduct, 2022' effective from Wednesday.
The election body on Tuesday asked the political parties, leaders and other concerned individuals to follow the 'Election Code of Conduct, 2022' from Wednesday. Issuing a 60-point directive to them, the election body said that to maintain fairness, impartiality, transparency and a fearless environment during the election, adherence to the code of conduct is crucial. People/agencies responsible to maintain a code of conduct are the government of Nepal and its ministers, provincial governments and its ministers, constitutional bodies and their office bearers, agencies of the federal and provincial government and their officials, local executive and its members, employees of federal, provincial and local level, security agencies and their employees, government, semigovernment and public offices and employees, political parties and their sister organisations, candidate and concerned people, election agent and vote counting representatives of political parties of candidates, public office holding individuals, officials of the observation committee and monitors, media institutions and their employees and media persons, private and non-government organisations, and their employees, teachers and staff of schools, colleges and universities, voters, development partner organisations, projects run by the government or semi-government agencies and their staff, organisations running voters' education and their staff, officials, employees and workers of private sector banks and financial institutions, cooperative organisations, and commercial and industrial sector. Officials, employees and workers of the commodity or serviceproviding companies, other agencies and persons identified by the ECN.
"No work should be done to exhibit weapons or explosives, threaten anyone or damage their social prestige, boycott or threaten to boycott someone from the society, misuse economic resources to influence voters and votes," said the ECN in a statement.
The 60-point directives bar any candidates or concerned persons as well as organisations to offer or pledge or receive any gift, prize, or donation in the form of cash or goods, and throw or participate in feasts.
The code of conduct has barred any political party, candidate, sister organisation or concerned individual from conducting demonstration or protest programmes targeting someone at his/her residence. They are not allowed to hold rallies and processions, corner meetings, mass meetings and other gatherings without obtaining permission from the local administration. No posters or digital displays or road performances are allowed for the election campaigns.