District Election Offices asked to take action against code violators

BY A STAFF REPORTER, Kathmandu, Nov. 14: The Election Commission (EC) has instructed the District Code of Conduct Monitoring Committee to ensure and inform the political parties and candidates not to conduct any campaign and promotion programme regarding election 48 hours prior to the Election Day until the counting of votes is completed. 

The EC has issued the instruction according to Sub-section 5 of Section 24 of the Election Offenses and Punishment Act- 2017 and Section 17 of the Election Code of Conduct-2022.

The EC, issuing a press statement on Sunday,  asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to instruct the Nepal Police to prohibit the sale, distribution and consumption of alcohol during the prohibition period. It instructed to confiscate the liquor if there is a need to confiscate according to the prevailing law.

The statement further instructed the district level election code of conduct monitoring committee to take immediate actions against the employees working in the bodies such as Nepal government, provincial government, local level, semi-government, public organisations, projects run by government or semi-government bodies, development committees, who have the obligation to follow the Election Code of Conduct, 2022, if they violet the code.

The EC has also made a decision to send a letter to the Nepal Police through the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Investment Department through the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to closely monitor the compliance of the Election Code of Conducts by the political parties and candidates. The EC has also instructed to monitor if the election expenses of the political parties and candidates are within the set limits or not and send a written report to the district-based office every day by 7:00 pm, and the district-based office should send it to Joint Election Operation Centre of EC.

It has instructed the District Code of Conduct Monitoring Committee, Election Officer and Monitoring Officer to take immediate action if any candidate or political party is found to indulge in unlawful activities, partying, walking around with weapons or prohibited substances, doing any act that disturbs the peace and order, doing or causing to do any act with the intention of adversely affecting the election, inciting fear and intimidation. The EC has instructed the Monitoring Officer and the District Code of Conduct Monitoring Committee to provide the progress report including the complaints received so far regarding the violation of the Code of Conduct and the clarifications sought in this regard, the details of the complaint and the status of the action taken so far within three days.