Nepal’s EC urges media not to disclose opinion polls

Kathmandu: Nepal’s electoral body on Tuesday urged media not to disclose results of opinion polls before the general elections as it may damage a “healthy competitive environment.”

Nepal is set to hold the House of Representatives elections on March 5, the first since last year’s deadly Gen-Z protests that toppled the K P Sharma Oli-led coalition government. Nepal’s acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari said: “Media should not disclose the results of such opinion polls ahead of the March 5 election, as it may disillusion voters and spoil a healthy competitive environment by discouraging the candidates.” He was speaking at a voter education and election awareness campaign in Kathmandu, attended by social media users, bloggers and actors.

Bhandari also cautioned social media users towards the possibility of distorting the neutral environment of the election through the misuse of technology.