KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 23

A directive issued by the Election Commission has made it mandatory for international poll observers to recognise and respect the customs, cultures and sovereignty of Nepal while carrying out their roles.

According to the International Election Observers Accreditation (Supplementary) Directive, 2022, observers are also required to carry out their roles with impartiality, objectivity and independence and should not indicate or express any political bias or preference. The directive aims to provide opportunity for international organisations to observe the election process and procedure, its freeness, fairness, transparency and credibility.

This directive will be applicable for international observers in the House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly elections scheduled for November 22. 'The international organisations will have an obligation to brief their observers thoroughly on the electoral process and procedure and the provisions of the election code of conduct issued by the EC prior to their deployment.

Observers must refrain from carrying, wearing and displaying any electoral campaign material or any article of clothing, emblem, badge, pictures, symbols or other items denoting support for or opposition to any political party,' it says.

The procedure also mentions that observers will have to respect election officials, and exhibit a respectful and courteous attitude towards election officials, voters, volunteers and candidates, and cooperate with electoral and polling officials.

'Observers must undertake their duties in an unobtrusive manner and should not interfere with the election process. They shall refrain from influencing or providing guidance to persons involved in the electoral process/voting,' it reads.

Likewise, observers will be required to respect the instructions given by the polling officer to limit the number of observers entering polling centres to maintain calm and conducive environment for polls.

As per the directive, observers must observe voting on polling day from a reasonable distance, refrain from talking to voters inside the polling station and asking voters about their political inclination. Observers must respect the secrecy of the vote and not interfere with the voting process.

Observers will not be authorised to engage in settling any dispute, certifying election results, or providing written statements as evidence to be used in relation to resolution of disputes. They are also prohibited from issuing any disputable statement disturbing polling. 'The observer organisations should be accurate and comprehensive in their review of the election and must consider all factors that affect the electoral process when issuing statements and reports,' it says.

A version of this article appears in the print on October 24, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.