Nepal Election Commission added new provisions in Code of Conduct – 2082, banking system mandatory

Kathmandu. The Election Commission has added some new provisions in the Public Election Code of Conduct – 2082 for the House of Representatives member elections to be held on March 5. According to the new provisions, all election related expenses and income will have to be done through banks or financial institutions only and it will be mandatory to keep the bills and receipts of every expense safe. According to the Commission’s release, this arrangement has been made with the aim of ensuring transparency in the source of election expenses.

Under the heading Conduct related to Election Expenses of the Code of Conduct, political parties and candidates will have to submit details of estimated election expenses and its source while filing nomination. It will be mandatory for the candidates to open a separate account in a bank or financial institution for election expenses and spend from that account only. Also, a responsible official will have to be appointed on behalf of the candidate to make the expenditure. It will also be necessary to inform the details of that officer including name and address to the concerned election officer and election office.

It is also mentioned in the proposed code of conduct that political parties will have to open a separate bank account for election related expenses and spend it only through the responsible officer appointed by the party. Similarly, financial assistance of more than Rs 25 thousand will have to be accepted through a bank or financial institution only. On receiving cash amount as voluntary contribution from any person or organization, it will be mandatory to issue a receipt or compensation and deposit it in the bank or financial institution. Complete details of income and expenditure and related bill payments will also have to be kept safe.

The details of income and expenditure will have to be submitted to the District Election Office or the Commission as per the format prescribed by the Commission. If the Commission orders reimbursement of expenses or submission of details of bank accounts, it will be mandatory to submit all original documents. Apart from this, after the election is over, the details of election expenditure will have to be made public and submitted to the Commission or the Election Office within the period prescribed in the prevailing election law.