EC to collect election expense reports through police, NID

Kathmandu, Oct. 13

The Election Commission of Nepal (ECN) said on Thursday that the details of election expenses of candidates and political parties will be collected through local structures of Nepal Police and National Investigation Department (NID).

In a statement the ECN said that it was strictly implementing the election code of conduct to make the elections for members of the House of Representatives and members of the State Assembly held on November 20 this year free, fair and fearless.

In this context, a meeting of the EC’s Central Monitoring Committee for the Election Code of Conduct held Thursday decided to write to the Nepal Police and the NID through the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide details to the EC after thorough and carefully study and monitoring of the expenditure of the political parties and their candidates and compliance with the Code of Conduct.

The security agencies are requested to provide the reports of the election expenses in accordance with Section 42 of the Election Code of Conduct, 2022.

The election body stated that candidates and political parties should be monitored from the lower level in order to find whether the expenses of the candidates and political parties are within the limits set by the EC and whether the election code of conduct has been followed or not.

The meeting of the code of conduct monitoring committee has ordered the election code of conduct monitoring officer - chief of the District Treasury Controller Office - of all districts.

According to it, if a party flag, party or candidate's election symbol is placed in someone's private house or public building, public park, street pole or any public place, it will be considered as having been placed by the respective candidate of the respective constituency, and action will be taken against them as per the Code of Conduct and Elections (Offences and Punishment) Act.

In the case of hanging banners, digital displays, and leaflets, the relevant candidate shall be asked to remove such material or correct such place within twenty-four hours after asking for an explanation, and if they do not do so, they shall be subject to the punishment in accordance of the election law. 

 Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 14 October 2022.