RPP to take decision on presidential election soon

KATHMANDU, March 8: Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) will make a decision about the presidential election based on what is in the best interest of the party, according to party spokesperson Mohan Shrestha. 

RPP has planned to hold a meeting of the Central Performance Committee today to decide on the matter.

"Regarding the presidential election, the Central Performance Committee meeting has been called today as the RPP will take a decision based on the larger interest," he said, adding, "We are open to all options." The Central Executive Committee will take the rest of the decision on the presidential election. Ramchandra Paudel of the Nepali Congress (NC) and Subas Nembang of the CPN-UML are candidates for the presidential election to be held on March 9.

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The Election Commission has already announced that discussions, interactions, meetings, conferences, workshops and seminars have been banned since the silent period for the presidential election has been implemented since Tuesday. 

"During the silent period, any kind of discussions, interactions, meetings, conferences, workshops and seminars, including election campaigning, will be banned, action will be taken," said Shaligram Sharma Paudel, spokesperson of the EC. "Elections should be clean, free, fair, reliable, transparent." 

And in order to conduct it in a fear-free environment, the EC has enforced the Election Code of Conduct, 2079 BS that the period of prohibition of propaganda will be applied from 48 hours before the polling day until the polling station is closed on the polling day. In accordance with that provision, political parties, candidates, voters and related parties are informed that the period of prohibition of campaigning will continue from Tuesday until the polling stations are closed on February 25th for the presidential election.

The EC has requested not to solicit votes and spread propaganda by any means, and has also requested not to use electronic means such as SMS, Facebook and Viber to solicit votes. "The EC has requested all those concerned to follow/enable such conducts as it is forbidden to make statements, issue press releases, publish and broadcast, and disseminate materials predicting victory/loss through the media," he said.