A ‘Clean Election’ banner outside a polling station in Dimapur during the Nagaland Legislative Assembly election held on February 27, 2018. (Morung File Photo)
Morung Express News
Kohima | August 28
The Clean Election Movement (CEM) in Nagaland is seeking to move beyond election-season campaigns and build a sustained culture of ethical voting, responsible citizenship and accountable leadership.
Presenting an overview of the movement on August 28, Dr Villo Naleo, Secretary of the Social Concern Department, NBCC, said clean elections were not merely a political or administrative issue but also a moral responsibility, particularly in a Christian-majority society like Nagaland.
He said the movement, which began in 1975, seeks to address practices such as vote-buying, proxy voting, coercion, intimidation, voter manipulation and the use of money and muscle power.
According to Naleo, the CEM is a non-partisan civic and social movement that promotes electoral integrity and encourages citizens to exercise their freedom of conscience without pressure or inducement. It also seeks to connect clean elections with good governance, accountable leadership and the common good.
Naleo stressed that elections determine who controls public authority and resources, making responsible voting an important civic duty. He urged voters to look beyond personal, family, clan or financial interests and assess candidates based on character, integrity, competence and their commitment to public service.
Church urged to lead by example
Naleo said the Church has an important role to play because of its extensive presence across Nagaland. However, he cautioned that it should remain non-partisan while educating citizens, promoting ethical voting, speaking against corruption and injustice, and encouraging peaceful participation.
He also said the Church must examine its own practices, arguing that it cannot credibly call society to integrity while tolerating favouritism, manipulation or dishonesty within its institutions.
At the same time, Naleo noted that Nagaland’s electoral culture is shaped by its traditional social structures, including family, clan and village relationships. The challenge, he said, is to respect these realities while protecting individual conscience, equality and the secrecy of the ballot.
Money power remains a major challenge
Among the major obstacles to clean elections, Naleo identified the normalisation of money power, proxy voting, family and clan pressure, political patronage, intimidation and weak enforcement of electoral ethics.
He said changing the electoral culture would take time and require sustained public education and cooperation across generations. Despite the challenges, he said the movement had the potential to become a broad-based people’s initiative rather than remain the effort of a single institution.
Reaching young voters
Naleo highlighted the need to empower young people as ambassadors of ethical politics and protect every voter’s freedom to make an individual choice without fear or coercion.
As part of its recent efforts, the movement conducted seven Clean Election discussions during 2025-26 reaching approximately 3,000 students and young people, according to Naleo.
He said the movement’s vision was to see a Nagaland where elections are free, fair, peaceful and transparent, citizen vote according to conscience, and political leadership is understood as public service.
“Clean elections require more than clean candidates. They require clean voters, clean political practices, responsible institutions and a renewed moral commitment to the common good,” Naleo said.
Earlier, Rev Dr Kevichalie Metha, Pastor, Peraciezie Baptist Church, Kohima released CEM logo and Nagamese song composed and sung by Rev Dr Küzhopoyo Tünyi, Pastor, Chakhesang Baptist Church, Kohima.
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