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.[1] 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.[1]
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.[1] This guidance prohibits publicity, in any form, by public officials, of candidates and politicians.[2]
Purdah does not end until a new government forms. When no party has a majority, it may take some time before a minority government is formed.
In the United Kingdom general election, 2010, specific guidance was issued about the use of social media, for example "Use of Twitter may continue for publishing factual information only in line with guidance on news media".[3][4]