The Election Commission has decided to enforce the election code of conduct from Monday.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the commission held on Sunday.
The commission decided to enforce the code of conduct one day before the filing of nominations under the first-past-the-post system for the House of Representatives election. The nomination filing is scheduled for January 20.
The code of conduct will regulate election campaigning, the activities of candidates, government appointments, and news published by media outlets.
The House of Representatives election is scheduled to be held on March 5.
The election code of conduct prohibits the misuse of government resources in favor of any candidate.
It also restricts the misuse of social media. The dissemination of false or misleading information, hate speech, or the use of artificial intelligence for campaign propaganda is banned.
The code of conduct sets a 48-hour silence period before the election.
Political parties are prohibited from placing flags or symbols in public places and from using campaign materials larger than the prescribed size.
The code further requires candidates to mandatorily submit details of their election expenses within 15 days of the announcement of the final election results.
Likewise, government employees and teachers are barred from participating in political activities.
