KATHMANDU: With 69 days remaining until the election of members of the House of Representatives (HoR) scheduled for March 5, 2026, many people are curious about which bodies will be subject to the election code of conduct to ensure the polls are clean, dignified, and credible.
As Nepal has conducted several elections in the past, the scope of the code of conduct is generally understood. According to the election code of conduct prepared by the Election Commission and currently under consultation, the ministers of the Government of Nepal will be fully subject to the code of conduct.
Similarly, provincial governments and provincial ministers, constitutional bodies and their officials, as well as federal and provincial government bodies and their officials, will fall under the code of conduct.
The provisions will also apply to local executives and their members, employees of federal, provincial, and local governments, security agencies and personnel, and offices and employees of government, semi-government, and public organizations.
The proposed code of conduct further states that political parties and their sister organizations, candidates and individuals associated with them, election representatives of political parties and candidates, polling agents, and vote-counting representatives will be subject to the code.
In addition, persons holding public office, officials involved in approval committees, supervisory institutions, observers, media institutions and their officials and employees will also be required to comply.
Schools, colleges, and universities, along with their teachers and employees, voters, development partner organizations, projects operated by government and semi-government bodies and their employees, as well as organizations conducting voter education programs and their staff, will also be fully bound by the code of conduct.
Likewise, private sector banks and financial institutions, cooperatives, and the commercial and industrial sectors, including their officials, employees, and workers, will fall under the code. The provisions will also apply to officials, employees, and workers of commercial organizations providing goods and services, along with any other bodies or individuals designated by the Election Commission.
The Election Commission has stated that the proposed code of conduct will be implemented within the next few days after incorporating necessary suggestions and feedback.
Comment