How to run an election or social-issue campaign in Nepal

Election and social-issue campaigns need an operating process

Running an election or social-issue campaign online is not simply a matter of creating a Facebook Page, boosting a post and watching the reach number.

The campaign may involve a political party, candidate, committee, advocacy organisation, public-interest group, agency, volunteers and several technology platforms. Each participant needs to know who is authorised to speak, who controls the account, what the campaign is allowed to publish, how money is recorded and what happens when the rules or the platform review change.

This guide explains a practical operating process for Nepal. It is not legal advice and it does not replace the latest direction from the Election Commission Nepal, applicable election law, or the official policies shown inside the relevant advertising account.

First decide what kind of campaign it is

Before choosing an objective or writing an advertisement, describe the campaign in one sentence.

Is it:

• An election campaign for a candidate or political party?
• A public-information or voter-education campaign?
• An advocacy campaign about a social issue?
• A fundraising, volunteer or event campaign connected to a political organisation?
• A general brand or business campaign that mentions a public issue?

The label matters because the same creative format can receive different review depending on its message, sponsor, target, timing and call to action. A campaign that looks like ordinary awareness content may still need additional review if it supports or opposes a candidate, party, election or public issue.

Write down the classification, the intended audience, the sponsor and the person responsible for approving the final message. Revisit the classification whenever the copy, audience or objective changes.

Step 1: appoint the accountable campaign owner

The first operational decision is ownership, not creative.

The candidate, party, committee or authorised organisation should identify:

• The legal or organisational entity responsible for the campaign
• The person who can approve public statements and advertising spend
• The person responsible for the Election Commission relationship
• The finance owner who records contributions, invoices and expenditure
• The technical operator who manages pages, ads, data and reporting
• The person who handles complaints, corrections and urgent takedown decisions

Put these roles in writing. A freelancer or agency may manage implementation, but the campaign owner should retain control of the Page, Business Manager, advertising account, domain, email, phone number and payment method.

Step 2: check the election calendar and current Nepal rules

Do not build the media schedule from a generic marketing calendar. Start with the current election notice, code of conduct, campaign window, spending requirements and any silence period that applies to the specific election.

The Election Commission’s 2082 public guidance stated that political parties and candidates could use social media advertising during the permitted campaign period, while also warning against misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and content intended to negatively affect the election. Its public guidance on the silence period also described restrictions on political messages, advertising and sharing before polling.

Those dates and requirements are election-specific. Before launch, confirm the current notice from the Commission and record:

1. When campaign advertising may begin
2. The final time for publishing, boosting or changing political content
3. What must be paused or removed during the silence period
4. Spending limits, reporting deadlines and required records
5. Rules for public meetings, media, online platforms and third-party promoters
6. The channel for questions, complaints or correction requests

Treat a verbal summary or an old election screenshot as a lead, not as the current rule.

Step 3: complete platform authorisation before producing volume

Meta’s requirements can depend on the country, account, Page, advertiser and policy category. Review the current Meta business guidance for ads about social issues, elections and politics and complete the identity, location and authorisation steps shown in the actual account.

Keep an approval record containing:

• The authorised person or organisation
• The identity and location verification status
• The Page and ad account connected to the campaign
• The advertiser or disclaimer information
• The date of approval and any expiry or review condition
• Rejected versions, reasons and appeal decisions

Do not assume that authorisation in another country, on another Page or for another election transfers to a Nepal campaign. Do not use a freelancer’s personal account as a shortcut around the campaign owner’s verification.

Step 4: build a secure account and access structure

Use a dedicated campaign operating structure with named users and the minimum permissions each person needs.

At minimum, review:

• Facebook Page ownership and administrator access
• Meta Business Manager ownership and two-factor authentication
• Ad account ownership, billing and spending limits
• Domain verification and the website’s administrator accounts
• Instagram identity and connected assets
• Google Analytics, Search Console or CRM access where measurement requires them
• Backup administrators and an offboarding process

Never send passwords, recovery codes, identity documents or payment details in ordinary group chats. If an agency is replaced, remove its access and rotate credentials promptly.

Step 5: create a message and evidence approval process

Election communication affects public trust. Every creative should pass a documented review before it is scheduled.

Review the following:

• Is the sponsor or responsible organisation clear?
• Are claims supported by a source that can be shown to the reviewer?
• Does the content distinguish fact, opinion, promise and prediction?
• Does it avoid misinformation, fabricated media, impersonation, threats, hate speech and harassment?
• Are images, music, logos and testimonials used with permission?
• Does the language remain understandable in the audience’s preferred language?
• Does the call to action comply with the current election rules?
• Is the message still allowed during the planned publication window?

Keep the approved copy, creative file, source links, approver and publication date together. If the message changes, treat it as a new version and review it again.

Step 6: design the conversion path and data safeguards

Decide what a person should do after seeing the campaign. It may be to read a policy, verify a public fact, attend a permitted event, volunteer, request information or contact an authorised office.

The destination should explain:

• Who operates the page or form
• What information is being requested and why
• How the information will be used and protected
• How a person can ask for correction or removal where applicable
• What response time they should expect
• Which claims or sources support the campaign’s message

Collect the minimum information needed. Separate public-interest information from sensitive political profiles, and limit access to people who need it for the stated purpose. Review lead exports, volunteer lists and message inboxes regularly rather than allowing them to become an unmanaged database.

Step 7: plan measurement before spending

Set up a measurement sheet before the first advertisement goes live. Keep platform results separate from real-world outcomes.

Track at least:

• Campaign, ad set and creative version
• Approval status and publication dates
• Amount spent and the account that paid
• Reach, impressions, frequency and placements
• Clicks, messages, forms, event registrations or volunteer actions
• Valid and completed actions after follow-up
• Rejected ads, policy warnings, restrictions and appeals
• Complaints, corrections and takedown decisions

Do not treat the cheapest click or message as the campaign’s success. A public-information campaign may be judged by accurate reach and understanding; a volunteer campaign may need completed registrations; an election campaign also needs transparent financial and compliance records.

Step 8: test carefully and publish with change control

Start with a small, reviewable launch. Test one meaningful question at a time: language, format, explanation, audience, landing page or call to action.

Before each change, record:

1. What is changing
2. Why it is changing
3. Who approved it
4. What result should improve
5. When the result will be reviewed
6. What would cause the team to pause or reverse it

Avoid making many changes at once. It becomes difficult to explain what happened, and a hurried change near a deadline can create a compliance or reporting problem.

Step 9: monitor the campaign every day

Election and issue campaigns need active monitoring. Assign a person to check delivery, comments, messages, account alerts, impersonation, misleading claims and public feedback.

Maintain an incident log with:

• Time and URL of the issue
• Screenshot or preserved copy
• Risk assessment
• Person responsible for the decision
• Action taken: correction, response, pause, appeal or escalation
• Final outcome

If an advertisement is rejected, do not repeatedly edit and resubmit without understanding the reason. Check the current policy, preserve the review result and escalate through the authorised campaign process.

Step 10: use the Meta Ad Library as a transparency check

The Meta Ad Library can help the team inspect how a Page’s issue, election or political advertisements appear publicly. Search the Page and confirm that the creative, status, sponsor information and timing look consistent with the campaign record.

The Ad Library is a public monitoring tool, not legal approval and not proof that a campaign complies with every Nepal requirement. Use it alongside the campaign’s own approval, spending and correction records.

Step 11: pause correctly during the silence period

The final pre-poll period requires a calendar-controlled stop, not an informal message in a chat group.

Before the cutoff:

• Pause scheduled campaigns and automated rules
• Stop boosted posts and third-party publishing
• Confirm that no agency, influencer or volunteer is publishing on the campaign’s behalf
• Save the final spend and delivery reports
• Record what content was paused, archived or removed
• Confirm who can approve an urgent correction or legal response

The exact cutoff must come from the current Election Commission direction for that election. Do not infer it from a previous election or from another country’s rules.

Step 12: close the campaign and preserve the record

After the campaign, export the final account, spend, creative, approval, incident and outcome records. Reconcile platform invoices with the campaign finance record and confirm that the responsible organisation knows where the records are stored.

Then:

• Remove unnecessary agency and volunteer access
• Rotate credentials where access was shared or temporary
• Review lead and volunteer data retention
• Archive approved and rejected creative versions
• Document what worked, what failed and what must not be repeated
• Keep required records for the period required by the applicable rules

Closeout is part of compliance. A campaign should be explainable after the last advertisement stops running.

A practical brief for a technical campaign operator

When requesting help, send a brief that asks for a process rather than a promise:

> We are planning an election or social-issue campaign in Nepal. Please explain how you will confirm the current Election Commission timetable and code, complete Meta authorisation, keep Page and ad-account ownership with the campaign owner, review claims and disclaimers, protect sensitive data, track spend and outcomes, monitor policy decisions, pause during the required silence period, and deliver a complete closeout report. Please separate your fee from ad spend and do not guarantee approval, reach, votes or results.

A good operator should be comfortable documenting uncertainty. No agency, consultant or platform can guarantee approval or an election outcome.

The right goal is a defensible campaign

The strongest digital election or social-issue campaign in Nepal is not necessarily the one with the largest reach. It is the one that can explain who authorised it, why each message was published, where the money went, what data was collected, how corrections were handled and when the campaign stopped.

For a technical review of campaign structure, tracking and operating evidence, you can share the campaign context or read the Meta Ads consulting approach for Nepal businesses. This article is educational information, not legal advice. Confirm the current Election Commission direction, applicable Nepal law and platform requirements before launch.

Last reviewed: October 7, 2026. Election calendars, codes of conduct, platform policies and account requirements can change between campaigns.