Poll preparation nearing climax

By TNW correspondent

The preparation for General Election 2022 at federal and provincial level is approaching climax nearly 12 days prior to the day people finally pick up their representatives for five years. The way, in which voters have shown interest in the pre-election times and activities, indicates they are enthusiastic not only to cast vote but to have a say in shaping the next five years for the country and the people.

Political parties, independent candidates, rebel candidates and others are intensifying efforts to convince voters and earn their confidence and trust in various constituencies either through direct contact, door to door visit, mass meetings, social media, publicity materials and other communication instruments- digital, printed, audio, visual and others.

The Election Commission has worked very hard to expand the reach of voters’ education. It has also sought to remind candidates and political parties of their duty not to go beyond the poll code of conduct they all are committed to. A few actions against those who have gone beyond the code in the various ways of approaching people are also making headlines frequently.

In implementing the code, the EC should also bear in mind that it cannot do anything that suppresses people’s right to speech and expression.

“This is the time in which people speak spontaneously and this is the time people make up their mind about their choice. The job of publicity is just to facilitate people to make the best informed choice. The spirit behind the code is to aid the process of rendering the poll free and fair”, said a media analyst.

The mass media – newspapers, radio, TV and online – have focused on various aspects of the election and analysis of matters from different angles. Their interpretations of parties’ manifestoes and candidates’ commitments to people prior to poll are interesting.

People interested in social media are also finding a number of postings in it which appeal to them in varied ways. The Election 2022 has actually been most widely covered in social media. Keeping this in view users and producers should bear in mind their duty in poll times. They would contribute more effectively if they could adopt a fair sense of accountability as they post or share materials in media, say users of quality social media.