EC calls for positive environment for upcoming by-elections

Kathmandu / Nov 12: The Election Commission of Nepal has urged mass media, especially the state-run media, for their pro-active role in enabling a positive environment for the December 1 by-elections.

At a discussion held at the Commission’s office with representatives from the state-run media outlets today, the Commission requested the media to disseminate by-election related information and contents and publicize them thereby help increase voter turnout.

Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya appealed to the state-run media to prioritize publishing and broadcasting the important decisions and statements of the Commission from their respective media houses.

Thapaliya requested the print media to feature election election-related informative contents prominently, preferably placing them in the front page.

The Commission has called for publication and broadcasting of programmes of public interest like talk shows, discussions in the media in collaboration with the Advertisement Board.

The Commission has urged the Press Council Nepal to monitor compliance of the media contents with the election code of conduct-2079 BS or the Journalist Code of Conduct -2076 BS. It also sought cooperation from all state-owned media to help make the upcoming by-election free, fair and impartial.

The election management body of the country has tasked the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology with the responsibility for coordination among Radio Nepal, Nepal Television, Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS) and Gorkhapattra for disseminating election-related contents in a coordinated manner.

The Ministry will be making arrangements for monitoring media contents to prevent the spread of false and malicious information during the election period.

Secretary at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology Radhika Aryal said that Nepal Telecommunications Authority, Press Council Nepal and Department of Information and Broadcasting have been instructed to deliver more effectively to make the upcoming by-election a success.

Secretary Aryal assured that the Ministry was ready to coordinate and facilitate the subordinate bodies to hold the by-election free, fair, and impartial and to hold in a fearless environment.

In response to the Commission’s call, RSS’s General Manager Siddharaj Rai pledged to mobilize the reporters and correspondents in those local levels where the by-election is taking place for comprehensive and fact-based reporting.

Present in the discussion were Election Commissioner Sagun Shumsher JBR, Secretary at the Commission Rabi Lal Pantha, Secretary Aryal, Director General at the Department of Information and Broadcasting Pradeep Pariyar.

Likewise, in attendance in the discussion were RSS’s GM Rai, Radio Nepal’s Executive Director Amardhowj Lama, Nepal Television’s General Manager Samir Jung Shah and Gorkhapattra Sansthan’s Chairperson Bishnu Subedi among others.