Purdah (pre-election period)
Encyclopedia
Purdah is a now less-common term to describe the pre-election period, used in United Kingdom
politics to describe the time between an announced election and the final election result. The time period offers a prior opportunity for government departments to develop guidance and policy due to any impact resulting from the election.
The name itself is from the Persian word of the same name, meaning "curtain", and referencing the status of women hidden from the world of men, similar to terms like "harem." Thus the word, as used in the British system for the hidden condition of the policies of government during the interregnum period heralded by an election, is analogous to the perennial condition of women in the Persian-influenced Islamic world, to include Afghanistan and India, of being hidden, kept apart, or curtained off.
At the national level, major decisions on policy are postponed until after the purdah period, unless it is in the national interest to proceed or a delay would waste public money. The Cabinet Office
issues guidance before each election to civil servants, including those in the devolved national parliaments and assemblies.
For local elections, the activities of local authorities in the pre-election period are governed by the Code of recommended practice on local authority publicity, which is issued as part of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1986
. This guidance prohibits publicity, in any form, by public officials, of candidates and politicians.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
politics to describe the time between an announced election and the final election result. The time period offers a prior opportunity for government departments to develop guidance and policy due to any impact resulting from the election.
The name itself is from the Persian word of the same name, meaning "curtain", and referencing the status of women hidden from the world of men, similar to terms like "harem." Thus the word, as used in the British system for the hidden condition of the policies of government during the interregnum period heralded by an election, is analogous to the perennial condition of women in the Persian-influenced Islamic world, to include Afghanistan and India, of being hidden, kept apart, or curtained off.
At the national level, major decisions on policy are postponed until after the purdah period, unless it is in the national interest to proceed or a delay would waste public money. The Cabinet Office
Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
issues guidance before each election to civil servants, including those in the devolved national parliaments and assemblies.
For local elections, the activities of local authorities in the pre-election period are governed by the Code of recommended practice on local authority publicity, which is issued as part of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1986
Local Government Act 1986
The Local Government Act 1986 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- Section 2A :It is best known for having been amended by the notorious Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988, which added the now-repealed Section 2A to this Act, restricting local authorities from a number of...
. This guidance prohibits publicity, in any form, by public officials, of candidates and politicians.