Election campaign in Nepal to begin from February 16

Political parties are allowed to campaign from February 16 to March 2, according to Suman Ghimire, deputy spokesperson at the Election Commission. Political parties are allowed to organise public rallies, mass meetings and other election campaign related programmes in the open only between February 16 and March 2, he said.

Nepal's Election Commission on Friday allotted political parties 15 days to campaign starting from February 16 ahead of the March 5 general election. Political parties are allowed to campaign from February 16 to March 2, according to Suman Ghimire, deputy spokesperson at the Election Commission. According to Ghimire, no campaign activities - including rallies, processions or assemblies - are allowed before February 16, in line with the Election Code of Conduct. During the official campaign period, political parties may organise public events and publish or broadcast election-related materials through the media. ''Political parties are allowed to organise public rallies, mass meetings and other election campaign related programmes in the open only between February 16 and March 2,'' he said. He, however, added that candidates may conduct door-to-door campaigns even before February 16. A 48-hour silence period will be enforced from the midnight of March 2, during which all campaign activities must cease. During the upcoming House of Representatives elections, a total of 18.9 million people are eligible to cast their votes to directly elect 165 members. Out of the total 275 members, 110 are elected to the Lower House through a proportional voting system. The general elections were necessitated after deposed prime minister K P Sharma Oli resigned on September 9, following violent protests by the youth-led Gen Z group against his government over corruption and a ban on social media. Sushila Karki, 73, became the interim prime minister on September 12 and on her recommendation, the president dissolved the House of Representatives and announced the election date.

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