Submit your Article

The Election Commission (EC) has reminded the officials, government employees and organizations from different sectors of the election code of conduct after the EC received several complaints of violation of the election code of conduct. 

Some cases of violation of the election code of conduct have surfaced in the wake of the House of Representatives (HoR) elections scheduled for March 5. 

The EC has stated that the election code of conduct fully binds the Government of Nepal and ministers, Province Governments and province ministers, bodies of the Government of Nepal and province governments and their office-bearers, local governments and their executives, employees of the federal, province and local levels as well as the offices and employees of semi-state owned institutions and public enterprises.

Furthermore, the media houses and media persons, schools, universities, teachers and officials are also bound by the election code of conduct. 

Similarly, the political parties, their sister organizations, candidates, candidates' election representatives and voting representatives should strictly abide by the election code of conduct. 

Others to follow the election code of conduct include the bank and financial institutions, cooperative organizations, commercial and business sectors, NGOs and their employees, according to the EC.

The constitutional bodies, their officials, security bodies and security personnel, public position holders, election observers and the election observing committee's office-bearers too should completely follow the election code of conduct.  

Issuing a statement on Monday, the EC has asked the professors, teachers and officials to avoid any sorts of election campaigns favouring certain political parties and candidates in the upcoming HoR elections. 

The EC made such an appeal to the stakeholders issuing a statement after it received some complaints about the involvement of professors, teachers and officials in publicity campaigns for political parties and candidates.

The Election Code of Conduct, 2082 BS clearly bars teachers and professors and officials from participating in the political campaigns of any political parties and candidates.

The EC has also cautioned those stakeholders to maintain impartiality and not to participate in the political parties' and candidates' election campaigns.

The Election Commission (EC) has urged the people's representatives of the local level not to be involved in the election publicity campaigns. 

In order to keep the free, fair, impartial, transparent, fearless and economized environment for the  March 5 House of Representatives (HoR) elections, the EC has made the plea to the locally-elected representatives. 

Citing reference to the implementation of the Election Code of Conduct, 2082 BS, the EC has reminded the responsibility of the concerned stakeholders to strictly comply with the code. 

According to the EC, it has been monitoring whether or not the political parties, candidates and concerned are fully complying with the election code of conduct. 

The commission has expressed serious concern over complaints and grievances received that some local representatives participated in the promotion of political parties and candidates contrary to the election code. 

According to the code related provisions, local executive office-bearers may participate in election campaigns of their respective political parties in local levels other than the one they were elected, yet there is a clear provision that they cannot use government resources and facilities.

The EC has cautioned the local people's representatives not to engage in poll publicity campaigns in a way to contravene the existing code.

At least 17 persons died and 24 others were injured when a passenger bus met with an accident in Dhading in the wee hours of  Monday. 

The incident occurred when the bus (Ga 1 Kha 1421) heading towards Kathmandu from Pokhara veered off the road and plunged into the Trishuli River  in Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality-5, Bhainsigauda, Dhading at around 1.30 am this morning. 

The bodies of 17 people who died in the accident have been recovered, said Bishnu Prasad Bhatta, spokesperson of the Armed Police Force (APF). 

He further shared that the injured have been rescued and rushed to various hospitals for treatment. 

Identities of the deceased and injured are  yet to be established. 

The cause behind the accident is yet to be known, police said. . 

A rescue operation is underway  in coordination among all three security agencies. 

A team with divers from the APF Nepal Disaster Management Unit at Adamghat has been mobilized for the rescue operation, Bhatta said. 

APF DSP Sunil Giri from the Disaster Management Training School, Kurintar is leading the command for the rescue effort. 

The Election Commission continues with the voter education program nationwide with the aim of making the election more participatory and reducing the percentage of invalid votes.

The voter education program also informs the general public about the importance of voting rights and the voting process. 

The Commission has stated that one voter education volunteer has been deployed in each of the 6,743 wards of 753 local levels across the country from February 15 to March 1.

The Commission has mentioned that the volunteers are reaching the settlements and doorsteps of the general voters and informing them about the importance of the election and the voting process through sample ballot papers. 

The Commission has also appointed the focal point at the local level as the monitor of the election voter education program, and the orientation program has also been completed.

Similarly, the Commission is making maximum efforts to monitor individuals who provide false and misleading information and hate speech in violation of the election code of conduct and to bring individuals and organizations that commit illegal acts under the ambit of the law in collaboration with regulatory bodies. For this, the Information Ethics Promotion Unit under the Election Information Dissemination and Coordination Center is functional.

Meanwhile, 290 content producers and communicators who produced and disseminated harmful information have been reported to the Cyber Bureau of the Nepal Police for action under the Electronic Transactions Act, 2063. Similarly, 11 have been recommended for action to the Nepal Telecommunication Authority under the Telecommunications Authority Act, 2052. 

Similarly, 65 have been recommended to the Press Council, Nepal for action under the Press Council Act, 2048 and one for action under the Advertisement (Regulation) Act, 2076, the Commission stated.