KATHMANDU, Oct 18: The election fever has gripped the entire country. The House of Representatives (HoR) and provincial assembly elections are scheduled for November 20. While the candidates are busy in door-to-door campaigns, the Election Commission (EC) is gearing up for holding free and fair elections.
Earlier, the local level election which was held on May 13 concluded largely peacefully, barring some sporadic incidents. In some places, voting was postponed due to disputes and subsequent clashes. To avoid such incidents in the upcoming elections, the EC has reviewed the May 13 local level election and made changes to the election code of conduct as well.
“The commission has analyzed the last local level election and learnt its lessons. We also received various feedback regarding the election. With this, we have made the required changes to the election code of conduct to make the upcoming elections more effective,” said Shaligram Sharma Paudel, spokesperson for the commission.
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The election code of conduct this time has made it mandatory for the candidates to divulge their property details. “With the consent of the candidates, the commission will publish the property details of the winning candidates,” said Spokesperson Paudel. Similarly, Paudel also informed Republica that the commission will record and publish the personal details of the candidates such as name, address, educational qualification and political background on the commission’s official website.
The candidates are also not allowed to hold mass rallies until 17 days before the election date for the House of Representatives and provincial assembly elections. If any candidate is found to conduct corner meetings and mass rallies before the date set by the commission, it will be a violation of the election code of conduct.
In addition to this, only 25 people can participate in the door-to-door campaigns conducted by the candidates and the political parties. “Only 10 flags of the political parties concerned are allowed to be carried during such campaigns,” Spokesperson Paudel made it clear. In case candidates hold mass rallies before November 3, EC has warned that their candidatures will be canceled.
The commission has stated that the current government office-bearers -all of them - who have registered their candidacies for the upcoming polls, will be dismissed from their posts automatically. Similarly, for the upcoming House of Representatives and provincial assembly elections, Financial Comptroller General Hari Prasad Mainali has been selected as the election code of conduct monitoring officer.
Likewise, the commission says that it has received complaints that candidates and political parties organized programs with decorated stages under roaring fanfare. Therefore, the candidates and political parties should submit the expenditure details of such lavish campaigns to the commission within 15 days of the completion of the elections.
With the start of campaigning and advertising using social media by various political parties and candidates, the commission has also stated that such advertisements made on social media will be included in the election expenses of the candidates.
The commission is also considering allowing the operation of public vehicles on election day. “We are still discussing whether or not to allow public vehicles to run on election day. The discussion is still underway and a conclusion is yet to be reached,” said Spokesperson Paudel.
