HoR elections: Code of conduct comes into force

KATHMANDU: With 45 days remaining until the House of Representatives (HoR) elections, the Election Commission (EC) has enforced the Election Code of Conduct, 2082, effective from today.

The code has been implemented in preparation for the election of members of the House of Representatives, scheduled for March 5. According to the Commission, the Code of Conduct was approved to ensure that the elections are conducted in a clean, free, fair, transparent, and fear-free environment. The code has been published in the Nepal Gazette.

The Code of Conduct will remain in force until further notice and will apply to a wide range of institutions and individuals. These include the Government of Nepal and its ministers, provincial governments and their ministers, constitutional bodies and their officials, as well as bodies under federal and provincial governments.

It will also apply to local executives and their members; federal, provincial, and local government employees; security agencies and personnel; and offices and employees of government, semi-government, and public organizations. Political parties and their sister organizations are also subject to the code.

Additionally, the code covers candidates and related persons, election representatives of political parties and candidates, polling and vote-counting representatives, public office holders, monitoring committee officials, and election observers.

Media institutions, journalists, private and non-governmental organizations and their employees, educational institutions and their staff, as well as voters, development partners, and organizations involved in voter education programs are also required to comply with the code.

The Code of Conduct further applies to banks and financial institutions, cooperatives, the commercial and industrial sectors, service providers, and any other bodies or individuals designated by the Commission.

Election Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai urged all concerned stakeholders to cooperate fully in ensuring effective implementation and compliance with the Code of Conduct.