Civil servants who engage in political activities will face dismissal as a result of new revisions to the Civil Service Regulation.
This is the first substantial change to the regulation, which has been revised seven times since it was first enacted in 2014.
The latest modification, which was released on Thursday, will take effect in two months. It categorises transgressions into three levels.
Civil officials who engage in political activities, whether inside or outside of official hours, will be considered to have committed a first-level transgression under the new rules. It also classifies political arguments during office hours as a level-two transgression, while offering and accepting bribes, as well as supporting terrorist actions, as a level-three transgression.
Civil servants who commit a level one offence face a one-year written or verbal reprimand. For level two offences, a two-year written warning will be issued.
Furthermore, for level three offences, civil officials face demotion and, depending on the severity of the offence, a suspension of more than 30 days, and the Civil Service Commission has the authority to suspend their salary and allowances.
