KATHMANDU, APRIL 20

The Election Monitoring Directive-2022 issued by the Election Commission stipulates strict provisions to supervise, direct, and control all the activities of local level polls.

As per the directive, there will be an eight-member central election monitoring committee headed by the Election Commission in a bid to make election-related functions more systematic and results-oriented.

Its other members include secretaries at the EC, Office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology; chairperson of Nepal Telecommunications Authority and joint-secretary at the Administration Division of the Election Commission.

The directive says that the central committee will form teams or mechanisms comprising EC office-bearers, employees and experts for monitoring election campaigning, voting, and vote counting. The central committee has been empowered to make recommendation to the EC for legal or departmental action against persons, institutions or agencies that violate the order and instructions of the EC.

"If any employee or security personnel deployed for election commits any act in contravention of the existing laws or order issued by the EC, the central committee will make recommendation to the election panel for immediate action," it reads. Likewise, the central committee will carry out monitoring of media or social media to ascertain whether they are disseminating misleading information.

The directive also allows the EC to form a separate high-level monitoring committee under the coordination of the Election Commission to monitor election activities.

According to the directive, the local level code of conduct monitoring committee will also act as local level election monitoring committee during election campaigning till the announcement of election results.

The EC may also establish and operate a joint election operation committee for election liaison and coordination among the office of Election Commission, district election office and security agencies.

The concerned authorities will carry out monitoring on the basis of field inspection, complaints and investigation, interview and face-to-face meeting with the stakeholders, information received through media and other sources and telephone inquiries.

The monitors may film the activities related to monitoring by using video camera without causing adverse impact on the confidentiality of the election.

They are also required to supervise the potential incidents of gender-based violence during the election.

The monitors and officials deputed for monitoring will have to wear an ID card issued by the EC. There is a provision for providing orientation by the EC to the monitors to be deployed for monitoring election.

It requires the monitoring committees, teams or officials to submit their report to the EC within five days of completion of monitoring.

A version of this article appears in the print on April 21, 2022, of The Himalayan Times