The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday unveiled the draft of Political Parties' and contesting candidates to be observed in election 2007-08 that will be forwarded to the political parties for their inputs by November 3.
EC Secretary Muhammad Dilsahd, while unveiling the code of conduct here, said that following the recommendations from the political parties, leaders of parties would be invited to finalise the drat code.
The draft conduct is by and large similar to the one of 2002, with minor changes such as no political parties and their candidates shall hold public meetings or rallies on main streets, roads and chowks to avoid traffic jams and public inconvenience.
Code of Conduct Text: The political parties shall not propagate any opinion, or act in any manner, prejudicial to the ideology of Pakistan, or the sovereignty, integrity or security of Pakistan, or morality, or the maintenance of public order, or the integrity or independence of the judiciary of Pakistan, or which defames or brings into ridicule the judiciary or the armed forces of Pakistan, as provided under Article 63 of the Constitution.
(2) Criticism of other political parties, when made, shall be confined to their policies and programme, past record and work. Parties and candidates shall refrain from criticism of all aspects of private life, not connected with the public activities of the leaders or workers of other parties. Criticism based on unverified allegations or distortion shall be avoided.
(3) Concerned political parties and contesting candidates may announce their overall development programme. But after the announcement of the election schedule till the day of polling, no candidate or any person on his behalf shall, openly or in secret, give any subscription or donation, or make promise for giving such subscription or donation, to any institution of their respective constituency or to any other institution, nor shall commit to undertake any development project in the respective constituency.
(4) All parties and candidates shall avoid scrupulously all activities which are "corrupt practices" and offences under the election laws such as the bribing of voters, intimidation and impersonation of voters, canvassing within 400 yards of a polling station, holding public meetings during the period of 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for the close of the poll by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
(5) The right of every individual for peaceful and undisturbed domestic life shall be respected, irrespective of any resentment that a political party or a candidate may have against such individual for his political opinion or activities. Organising demonstrations or picketing before the house of such individual with a view to protest against his political opinion or activities shall be prohibited under any circumstances.
(6) No political party or candidate shall permit his followers to make use of any individual's land, building, compound wall etc without his permission for erecting flagstaffs, suspending banners, pasting notices, writing slogans etc.
(7) Political parties and candidates shall ensure that their supporters do not create obstructions in or disturb meetings and processions organised by the other parties. Workers or sympathisers of one political party shall not create disturbance at public meetings organised by another political party.
(8) Political parties and contesting candidates shall firmly restrain their workers from exerting undue pressure against the print and electronic media, including newspaper offices and printing presses, or resorting to violence of any kind against the media.
(9) Political parties and contesting candidates shall refrain from making such comments on international issues as are likely to embarrass the government's relations with other countries, nor shall they say anything or do any act in any manner, which might prejudice Pakistan's foreign relations. Controversial and harsh remarks about leaders of other countries and their ideologies shall be avoided.
(10) The political parties, contesting candidates and workers shall refrain from deliberate dissemination of false and malicious information. The workers of political parties shall not indulge in forgeries and disinformation to defame other political parties/leaders. The use of abusive language against the leaders and candidates of other political parties shall be avoided at all costs.
(11) The political parties shall refrain from speeches calculated to arouse parochial and sectarian feelings and controversy of conflicts between genders, sects, communities and linguistic groups. [Section 78 of the Representation of the People Act, 1976].
(12) Appeals to violence or resort to violence during meetings, processions, or during polling hours shall be strictly avoided. [Section 81 of the Representation of People Act, 1976].
(13) No person shall in any manner cause injury to any person or damage to any property. [Section 81 of the Representation of the people Act, 1976.
(14) Carriage and display of all kinds of lethal weapons and firearms shall not be allowed in public meetings and processions and official regulations in respect thereof shall be strictly observed. Aerial firing, use of crackers, and other explosives at public meetings shall not be allowed.
(15) The political parties, contesting candidates, agents or workers shall not indulge in offering gifts or gratifications or inducement to any person to stand or not to stand as a candidate, or to withdraw or not to withdraw his candidature. [Section 79 of the Representation of the People Act, 1976].
(16) The political parties, contesting candidates and their workers shall not propagate against the participation of any person in the elections on the basis of gender, ethnicity, religion or caste. Political Parties' officials, candidates or others shall not encourage or enter into agreements debarring women from becoming candidates or exercising their right of vote in an election.
(17) Ministers shall not combine their official visits with election campaign. -4- (18) The political parties and contesting candidates shall not procure the support or assistance of any civil servant to promote or hinder the election of a candidate. [Section 83 of the Representation of the People Act, 1976].
(19) The political parties and their candidates shall dissuade their workers or sympathisers from destroying any ballot paper or any official mark on the ballot paper. [Section 87 of the Representation of the People Act, 1976].
(20) No person or a political party or a candidate shall hoist or fix party flags on any public property or at any public place, except with the permission in writing from, and on payment of such fee or charges as may be chargeable by, the concerned local government or authorities. Wall-chalking as part of an election campaign shall be prohibited in all forms. [Section 83A of the Representation of the People Act, 1976].
(21) No election camp shall be set up on any road or place meant for the use of the public. Election camp shall as far as possible be simple. No food or drink shall be served to the voters in the election camp. (22) No contesting candidate or a political party shall cross the limit of election expenses - rupees one-and-a-half million for the National Assembly seat and rupees one-million for the Provincial Assembly seat. (Section 49 of the Representation of the People Act, 1976].
(23) Section 83A of the Representation of the People Act, 1976 lays down that no person or a political party shall affix posters, hoardings, banners or leaflets/hand bills larger than the sizes prescribed by the Election Commission.
The Commission has prescribed the sizes as under:
(a) Posters 2-feet x 3-feet
(b) Hoardings 3-feet x 5-feet
(c) Banners 3-feet x 9-feet
(d) Leaflets/Handbills 9-inches x 6 inches
The local authority and the Returning Officer shall be responsible for the effective implementation of the provisions of this section.
(24) Parties and politicians shall refrain from making references to secret and confidential matters, which were within their official knowledge when they were in power. Nor shall they betray the confidence which they enjoyed by virtue of their official position.
(25) No advertisement, notice or announcement paid for from public funds shall carry the explicit or implicit reference, name, designation or photo of any public functionary or holder of a state or public office to project him/her as the originator, sponsor, promoter or organiser of any scheme, project, progress, ideology or vision.
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