New Delhi, February 24: Nepal is gearing up for elections scheduled on March 5, leading to an increase in political activity across the country. The Election Commission of Nepal has presented a report concerning the code of conduct, which has been in effect for nearly a month. Based on this report, the Nepal Election Observation Committee (NEOC) has issued a warning to the Election Commission regarding necessary actions.
The Election Commission implemented the code of conduct on January 19 for the upcoming elections. Prior to its enforcement, discussions were held with various political parties participating in the elections, and public suggestions were solicited. Following these consultations, the code was officially enacted.
The report indicates that hundreds of complaints have been filed since January 19, with 79 requiring clarification, yet no actions have been taken. This serves as the Election Commission‘s report card for the past month.
Despite the code being in place for 35 days, the Commission has only sought clarifications from those allegedly violating election rules, without taking any further action.
According to the Kathmandu Post, the Commission has issued 79 letters requesting explanations from individuals and institutions, with nine of them being asked to clarify their actions twice due to multiple complaints of code violations.
For instance, Ashika Tamang, a candidate from the National Independent Party in Dhading-1, was first asked to explain her campaign activities at a school. Ten days later, she faced allegations of using school children in her campaign, prompting the Commission to request another clarification. The Commission’s report states that her responses were inadequate, leading to another request for clarification.
Gopal Krishna Shivakoti, chairman of the Election Observation Committee, stated, “It is incorrect to say that the number of incidents has decreased. Previously, they occurred more physically; now they have shifted to social media, which is even more dangerous. Taking action after the damage is done is pointless. The Commission must take punitive action on specific cases before the elections.”
Krishna Subedi, chairman of the NEOC, emphasized that a decrease in violations cannot be an excuse for inaction in other matters. He added, “We will wait a few days. If the Commission continues to neglect its duty to take action, we will seek intervention from the Supreme Court.”
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