- Friday, 6 February 2026
Narayan Prasad Ghimire
Kathmandu, Feb 6: In an internationally acclaimed book, ‘Free Speech: Ten Principles for a Connected World’, author Timothy Garton Ash had written: “What Facebook does has a wider impact than anything France does, and Google than Germany. These are private superpowers.”
The Oxford University Professor had written the seminal book a decade back, while the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) was not felt in the way it is at present. However, the role the digital platforms play was finely signaled by him. It is a brief but clear statement on how mighty tech platforms are. The platforms have become further mightier since then.
Since the publication of his book, the tech platforms have brought forth tremendous progress to wield their influence. With the fierce competition to engage digital consumers, several other platforms emerged like TikTok. Irrespective of their origins, the connectivity and impact of such private superpowers are growing on global public.
AI: A stormy petrel
AI is another stormy petrel, holding sway, especially in the population with meagre capacity to negotiate well the digital realms. As a force multiplier, AI has disrupted every aspect of life. The digital networks have adopted the AI to amplify their business beyond borders.
Although we are enjoying tremendous benefits from the digital services, tech platforms and AI, the concern over the mis/use of these media is alarmingly grown across the globe. Keeping intact the democratic principles, pillars and exercises in the face of AI is therefore a matter of severe concern that we cannot brush aside.
It is a global phenomenon but equally a local digital context, where Nepal is all set to hold the House of Representatives (HoR) election, a large democratic exercise, on March 5, less than a month left.
Growing concern
The creation and spread of AI contents- texts, images and videos- are found rife on our digital screens. It is a free and customized entertainment to us. However, it is time to ponder whether such contents serve the real information and contribute to truth at a time when we, Nepalis, are voting soon. Informed choice, protection of individual privacy, respect and security to political leaders, candidates and voters, clean publicity, trust in institutions, and flow of right information are needed utmost at present. These elements create a solid foundation for an electoral integrity.
However, the time is characterized by information disorder where misinformation, disinformation and deepfakes hold sway. Researcher and digital observers have defined the present time as an age of ‘information apocalypse’. The spread of false, ill-intended content via the digital platforms therefore makes it clear that they are not only the medium of communications and connectivity but also the modern frontiers of politics and powers. In political maneuvering, manipulation counts and manipulation goes viral on these platforms. It ultimately comes at the cost of citizen’s informed choice, denting the faculty of reason.
TRP hungry media
Once we swipe the digital screens, we easily find trp hungry YouTubers asking mandated questions to the citizen, thereby violating their individual privacy. Together, it has breached the journalistic code.
As oodles of such contents are prepared and disseminated, the people fall victims of eco-chamber. Here lies the role of AI that amplifies the frequency of such visibility and viewership. Similar contents are served to the viewers through eco-chamber, which forces viewers slide unknowingly and stick to one-sided narratives. Gradually, a false perception gets entrenched among the viewers where candidates of their favour seem prominent and likely winners. It has the role to fuel ignorance, division, distrust and polarization. Eco-chamber spurs sheer absence of comparison and factual analyses. The targeted and loaded information supersedes reason, which ultimately seizes people’s freedom of thought.
Here, mere blame to AI is not solution, because it directly relates to our habit that erodes to splurge once the use of digital platform is given utmost priority. Our digital habit, perpetuating single narrative counts behind polarization. So, our trend of digital information consumption warrants change. All entertaining and funny contents are not safe and true but also addictive.
MoU with TikTok
With the spurt of digital media, it is natural for the political parties, candidates and voters to amplify their campaigns via these convenient media. So, strict monitoring of election code of conduct and journalists’ code of conduct by the respective institutions and practice of healthy digital behaviour by the consumers is imperative. In addition, individual media houses should make their journalists capable of fact-checking the contents to identify and prevent spread of mis- and disinformation that is detrimental to journalism and election.
In this connection, the Election Commission has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with TikTok, one of the pervasive digital platforms to share short videos, in a bid to curb digital pollution of harmful contents. Once the EC’s team responsible for managing digital platform in terms of election code, collaborates well with TikTok and immediately takes down the contents harmful to election, it would be helpful to prevent slur on election. The MoU can be further expected to help in making content moderation inclusive and platform accountable.
Cyber resilience: Everyday practice
Debates, discussions and activities surrounding digital mis- and disinformation are concentrated more during the mega events like election, while it is urgent to make it a constant campaign as an essential part of cyber resilience. It should indeed be an ongoing process for the country like ours where internet expansion is exponential, and digital literacy is in short supply. Importantly, we have badly missed leveraging previous industrial revolutions, and are now engulfed by the current revolution featured with the bewilderment of AI. In absence of the stepping stone, the cyber resilience is further urgent. Although activities of cyber resilience relating to a particular national event works as a patch up, constant campaigning should be adopted as a sustainable measures of reinforcing healthy digital ecosystem.
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HoR election: EC to depute volunteers in all wards for voter education
Kathmandu, Feb 6: The Election Commission (EC) is to depute volunteers in all wards across the country for voter education. The election to the House of Representatives is taking place across the country on March 5.
According to the EC, volunteers are going to be deputed in all 6743 wards of the country through the District Election Offices.
Assistant Spokesperson of EC, Kul Bahadur GC, said experienced child development facilitators, women health volunteers and community service centre operators would be appointed for voter education. The process for appointing volunteers has begun, he added.
The EC has already approved the voter education related programme on February 2 for this purpose. Preparation has been made to impart orientation on February 15 in all seven provinces by appointing volunteers for voter education.
The volunteers would be deputed in all 6,743 wards of 753 local levels from mid-February, added EC.
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PCN to make monitoring of election code of conduct more effective
Kathmandu, Feb 6: The Press Council Nepal is set to roll out a nationwide series of programme on the election code of conduct and role of media across all major cities of all seven provinces.
The statutory body of the government responsible for developing and enforcing journalist code of conduct, monitoring media content among others, has decided to further strengthen the monitoring of the election code of conduct put in force by the Election Commission Nepal in view of the March 5’s House of Representatives (HoR) election.
The recently held 12th meeting of the Council at Salyantar of Tripurasundari rural municipality in Dhanding district decided to run programmes focusing on study, research and awareness on election code of conduct this year as well as next year, shared Deepak Khanal, Spokesperson of the Council.
The Council also decided to update the roster of the experts for newspaper evaluation and review the standards for auditing newspaper distribution.
Spokesperson Khanal informed that major decisions of the meeting included taking necessary measures to make the newspaper classification process more realistic, objective and time-relevant.
Council will also work to improving and revising procedures regarding award distribution to make various awards provided by the Council more transparent and effective.
Similarly, records of newspapers and other media outlets would be updated while a special action plan along with a concept paper will be formulated to address the challenges and problems relating to updating process.
Meanwhile, the Council has urged all concerned to fully implement and ensure the implementation of the election code of conduct to in order to conduct the upcoming HoR election in a free, fair, impartial, transparent and fear-free environment.
The meeting resolved to appeal all the media outlets in Dhading district to prioritize publicity and promotion, conservation and development of including Tripurasundari Mai Bhagwati Temple, Phatik Khamba and Narsinghdham as well as Bhairavi Mai Temple located in Nilkantha municipality.
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HoR elections: Faceoff between parties and independents in Myagdi
Myagdi, Feb 6: The main competition in the upcoming House of Representatives election is expected to be between the political parties and independent candidates in Myagdi, which has only one electoral constituency.
Karna Bahadur Bhandari (KB) of the Nepali Congress, Hari Krishna Shrestha of the Communist Party of Nepal (UML), Arjun Thapa of the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) and independent candidate Dr Mahabir Pun are considered as the main contenders.
Pun, having resigned from the position of Minister of Education, Science and Technology of the interim government on the day of filing his nomination is contesting elections in his ancestral home district and this has created ripples in local politics.
Dhananjay Kumar Shrestha from Beni says that this election has generated much interest in the district due to the different environment created in national politics, the emergence of new political forces, the influence of competing candidates, and the strategies of the associated political parties and candidates.
He said, “In previous elections, the elections in Myagdi, which were overlooked at the national level, have been brought into the spotlight this time by the candidacy of the Roman Magsaysay award-winning Mahabir Pun. The elections in Myagdi have been made more interesting this time due to the organisational base of political parties and the influence of independent candidates.”
The Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) led by Netra Bikram Chand (Biplav), has nominated Kshetra Bahadur Ghimire (Dhruba), former Free Student Union president of Myagdi Multiple Campus, who was involved in underground politics during the conflict period, as a candidate.
Dammar Bahadur Subedi of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), Devendra Kami of the Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party, Binod Rana of the Shram Sanskriti Party, Chhem Bahadur Bishwakarma of the Rastriya Janamorcha, Bhim Bahadur Lama of the Mongol National Organisation and Tul Prasad Garbuja of the National Republican Nepal are also in the election fray.
The candidacy of Yubaraj Roka of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, who publicly announced support for independent candidate Pun, remains intact. Shrestha of the UML is a candidate for the second time, while all others are contesting for the first time.
Since 2017, this time the parties are set to compete individually without forming any pre-election alliances.
In the 2022 House of Representatives election, the UML received 18,273 votes, the Nepali Congress 13,693 votes, the CPN (Maoist Centre) 9,070 votes, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) 3,579 votes, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) 1,253 votes and the CPN (Unified Socialist) received 285 votes. In 2022, Garbuja of the Nepali Congress, supported by the Maoists, Unified Socialist and Janamorcha among other parties, won by securing 24,021 votes while his closest competitor Shrestha received 20,189 votes.
There are 86,397 voters in Myagdi with six local levels and which is a single electoral constituency for the election of the House of Representatives member. The district election officer Bimal Prasad Gautam said that there are 82 polling stations and 120 polling centres in the district.
The election candidates have started visiting the villages to meet voters, activists, and households. The rural areas here have become agog with political activities of the candidates.
The candidates have committed to ensuring good governance by making public service delivery technology-friendly, eliminating administrative delays, and incorporating the sentiments, demands and needs of the district residents in laws, budgets and plans.
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