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| July 14, 2005 | Thursday | Jumadi-us-Sani 6, 1426 |
Code of Conduct for LB polls announced: Expenses ceiling fixed for district nazim
ISLAMABAD, July 13: Candidates contesting the posts of district nazims in the forthcoming Local Government Elections can spend a maximum of Rs500,000 in their campaign, except in Balochistan province where the limit will be Rs200,000, the Election Commission announced here on Wednesday. The Code of Conduct for the candidates, announced by Chief Election Commissioner Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, also bars federal and provincial ministers, ministers of state, advisors and chairmen of different standing committees from using flag or official vehicles, official resources or any sign which reveals their identity or announcing a development scheme during their election campaign or of a candidate supported by him.
Apart from district nazims, the limit of expenditures for Tehsil/Town nazim is Rs300,000 in the provinces of the Punjab, Sindh and NWFP and Rs150,000 in Balochistan. Union nazim/Union vice nazim and women, labour, peasant or candidates from minority groups on reserved seats have been allowed to spend Rs100,000 and Rs50,000 each respectively in all the four provinces.
About their eligibility, the candidates under Section 152 of LG Ordinance 2001, should be a citizen of Pakistan, not less than 25 years of age and enrolled as a voter in the local voters’ list, should be of good character having an adequate knowledge of Islamic teachings and not known for violating Islamic injunctions.
Similarly, he should not be an employee of a federal, provincial, local government or any constitutional body or have retired six months earlier.
District nazims or vice nazims should be matriculate or equivalent from a recognized institution and should not have been declared of having an unsound mind by a competent court or have been removed from government service on charges of corruption, moral turpitude, abuse of power, misconduct or declared defaulter by a financial institution or a court or not paying utility bills for six months.
Candidates will become ineligible to contest elections if convicted for over three months as a public representative and at least a five-year period must have elapsed after his release from jail.
He should also not have been involved in any manner in propagating any opinion prejudicial to the ideology of Pakistan, sovereignty, integrity or security of the country or morality or maintenance of public order.
Similarly, candidates will not be able to receive any financial assistance from any political, religious, sectarian, regional party or use their platform during electioneering.
The code of conduct restrains candidates from arousing parochial, sectarian feelings, controversy or conflicts in their campaign speeches or call opponents “Kafir” (infidel), traitor or disseminate false or malicious information.
He will also not criticize the private or personal life of an opponent or level false allegations against him.
The candidates will not be allowed to hold public meetings or rallies on main streets, roads and roundabouts to avoid public inconvenience. However, they could hold corner meetings to announce their election manifesto without loudspeakers. Megaphones can be used.
Similarly, candidates or their agents will not be allowed to obstruct or interrupt speeches of rival candidates or prevent them from distributing handbills and leaflets.
Use of fire crackers, explosives or carrying of lethal weapons, fire arms or aerial firing has been banned in corner meetings. Religious places like mosques, imambarghas, churches or temples will also not be used by candidates to hold corner meetings besides the area where the candidate plans to hold meetings has been disallowed by the local administration.
He will also not set up an election camp on any road or public place or bring processions of buses, trucks, other vehicles or torch processions. He is also not allowed to give subscriptions, donations or to make any promise of giving such donations to any institution in their respective union council or make commitments for development projects.
It also requires from candidates to avoid corrupt practices and offences under election laws like bribing of voters, intimidation, impersonation and canvassing within 200 metres of a polling station. Besides, he or his supporters will remain peaceful and help the polling staff during the election process.
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