KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 9
The Election Commission has issued Election Monitoring Directive-2022 to hold the upcoming elections to the House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly in a free, fair, transparent, and fearless environment through effective supervision and control of related activities.
As per the directive, there will be an eight-member central election monitoring committee headed by an election commissioner to make electoral functions more systematic, effective and result-oriented.
Its other members include secretaries at the EC, Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Additional Inspector General of Police, and joint secretary at the EC.
The directive allows the central committee to form thematic sub-committees, election monitoring unit teams or mechanisms. The central committee has been empowered to recommend to the EC 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 or not they are disseminating misleading information.
Similarly, the directive allows the EC to form a separate high-level monitoring committee under the coordination of an election commissioner to monitor election activities. The EC will issue an identity card to persons deputed as members of the high-level monitoring committee.
As per the directive, the EC may also form and operationalise separate election monitoring units led by a first class gazetted officer for each province to monitor the observance of the code of conduct and electoral activities from election campaigning to announcement of election results. Even at the district-level, there will be district election monitoring committee.
The EC may also establish and operate a joint election operation committee led by a joint secretary at the Administration Division of the EC for liaison and coordination among the EC, office of election officer and security agencies. The concerned authorities of the committee will carry out monitoring on the basis of field inspection, complaints and investigation, interview and face-to-face meetings with stakeholders, information received through media and other sources and telephone.
The monitors may film the electoral activities by using video camera without causing adverse impact on the confidentiality of 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 identity card issued by the EC. There is a provision for providing orientation by the EC to the monitors to be deployed for monitoring of election. It requires the monitoring committees, teams or officials to submit their reports to the EC within five days after completion of monitoring.
A version of this article appears in the print on October 10, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
