By BHARTI JAIN - TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ MONDAY, MARCH 29, 2004 03:18:11 AM ] NEW DELHI : Even as the Election Commission has revived its crusade against dissemination of opinion and exit polls during polling, the trend worldwide has been towards doing away with such restrictions. 

As many as 15 countries have eased restrictions on publication/telecast of opinion poll results between 1996 and 2002, but what is really interesting is that these include the very countries the EC had mentioned in its 1998 order banning exit/opinion polls as a role model to justify its imposition of similar curbs in India. 

The EC had, in its guidelines on exit and opinion polls issued in 1998 and reiterated but later withdrawn in 1999, harped upon the restrictions in force in Canada, France, Italy, Poland, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil and Columbia to convey the inevitability of its decision to “save the voter from being influenced with opinion and exit poll results by banning their dissemination during the entire polling period.” 

But, the justification now no more appears to hold good. For, barring Argentina where the law banning publication/telecast of opinion polls 24 hours stays, all other countries that the EC counted as role models for India have eased or done away with the curbs. For instance Canada . The EC had quoted the Canadian Election Act in its 1998 guidelines banning exit and opinion polls. According to the Act, “no person shall broadcast, publish or disseminate the results of an opinion survey respecting how electors will vote at an election or respecting an election issue that would permit the identification of a political party or candidate from midnight of Friday before polling day (always a Monday) until the closure of all polling stations.” 

The Act now stands amended, with the embargo on opinion polls reduced from 3 days before polling to 2 days. The situation is no different in Italy . Nirvachan Sadan had highlighted the Italian Decree Law of 18.11.1995 that banned dissemination of exit polls from 20th day before election till closing day of voting, but the country has since softened up on the issue of allowing pre-poll surveys. 

Now, the embargo on publication/telecast of opinion poll findings is limited to 15 days before polling day. In France, where a 1997 Act barred agencies from disseminating results of opinion polls seven days prior to election, a 2002 Act reduced this period to barely 24 hours. The embargo was reduced in Turkey from 30 days in 1996 to just 7 days in 2002; in Poland from 12 days in 1996 to 24 hours in 2002; and in Columbia from 7 days in 1996 to just 24 hours in 2002. The restrictions on opinion polls have been completely done away with in Brazil . 

Among the remaining of the 15 countries which eased curbs on publication and telecast of pre-poll surveys in the last few years are Indonesia, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Uruguay, Kazakhstan and Venezuela. Interestingly, no restrictions apply or have been considered in US and UK , two of the biggest democracies. However, there have been select cases where the restrictions have been strengthened. 

Source: EconomicTimes.IndiaTimes.com