KABUL - An Afghan body charged with monitoring the media reporting on and fair broadcasting of the electoral campaigns made public today a set of rules governing media activities in the lead-up to the upcoming Presidential and Provincial Council polls, slated for 5 April 2014.

“The aim of formulating this regulation is not to limit the activities of the media,” said the head of the Electoral Media Commission (EMC), Farida Nekzad, at the body’s first-ever news conference since its creation earlier this month, in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

The 12-Article Regulation on Media Activities during Elections relates to activities of mass media during the 2014 elections under the Electoral Law and the Structural Law of the Independent Election Commission (IEC).

“The state-owned and private media shall equally treat all the candidates who are taking part in media debates regardless of their positions and shall not demonstrate a special favour to any candidate,” says the Regulation, which has already been approved by the IEC.
 

“The private media must fairly treat all candidates and provide as equal as possible conditions for reflecting views of all candidates, taking into account social justice and rights of citizens,” the Regulation adds. “The state-owned media are obliged to broadcast views, objectives and platforms of candidates fairly, equally and impartially for public information and provide them with equal required facilities during the electoral campaign.”

Ms. Nekzad added that “doors are always open for the media to work independently.”

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) welcomed the appointment of the EMC “as another key step” towards the holding of credible elections, which will mark the transfer of power from one elected president to another for the first time in the country's history.

In a news release on 4 December, UNAMA emphasized the important role that media can play in helping ensure transparency in the upcoming polls, and by promoting public awareness of the electoral process. It also highlighted the importance of media outlets having a fair and balanced approach in their reporting on the elections.

The five-member EMC is also responsible for addressing any violations and offences committed by the media within the regulatory framework applying to media coverage during the electoral process.

Ms. Nikzad said that EMC members would visit provinces in the coming days to share the Regulation with media representatives in provincial capitals.

At today’s news conference, some journalists demanded immediate changes to some articles of the Regulation “for better clarification on the role of media during elections, particularly concerning public polls.”

Ms. Nikzad asked media representatives to send their comments or concerns to EMC through formal channels.