Kathmandu, June 11

The Federation of Nepali Journalists has asked all office-bearers of its federal, provincial and district-level working committees to voluntarily tender resignation from their posts before filing candidacy for the second phase of civic polls.

This warning comes at a time when district-based journalists announced their candidacy in the second phase of local level elections. In the first phase of local level elections too, some journalists had filed their candidacies from various political parties and were elected.

Issuing a press release, FNJ said, “If any journalist affiliated to the umbrella organisation of mediapersons wishes to project himself/herself as a candidate for a political office, we ask him/her to tender his/her resignation from the FNJ working committee as per its statute.”

It warned that the post held by the concerned journalist in the federation would automatically cease to be effective in case he/she files candidacy for elections without tendering resignation from the FNJ post.

FNJ secretariat meeting took a decision to this effect, said the release. “Since embracing political activism and holding the post of office-bearer or member of FNJ simultaneously will cause conflict of interest, we urge the concerned persons to voluntarily tender their resignation before vying for the political post,” it read.

FNJ also said that its forthcoming general convention would hold a policy-level discussion on the issue as many of its members in various parts of the country were filing candidacy for the second phase of civic polls.