SRP request for an extension of the voters' name verification and the vote registration processes

Translated from Khmer

Sam Rainsy Party

To H. E. Im Suosdey
President of the National Election Committee

Subject: Request for an extension of the voters’ name verification and vote registration processes

As described in the subject title above, I am reporting to Your Excellency that during the past 14 days of the voters’ name verification and vote registration period, the Sam Rainsy Party had observed that the name verification and vote registration processes in a number of communes and sangkats were conducted without any incidence and were performed well. However, in other communes and sangkats, these processes encountered numerous obstacles because:

1. The opening of the offices for name verification and vote registration was done late, such was the case in the following communes: Poy Char, Ponley, Nam Tav, Phnom Dey, which are all located in Banteay Meanchey province. These offices did not open until 03 and 04 October.
2. The commune and sangkat councilors and secretaries were summoned by the provincial authorities to attend meetings, thus forcing a temporary closure of offices for name verification and vote registration. These cases occurred at the following sangkats: Phsar Depot 1, Phsar Depot 2, Phsar Depot 3, and Boeung Kak 1, which are all located in the city of Phnom Penh.
3. The lack of forms 1018 and 1022 forced some offices for name verification and vote registration to stop functioning temporarily. This case occurs in almost all communes and sangkats in the entire country.
4. In some communes and sangkats where there are a large number of people who went to register to vote, the number of workers in the name verification and vote registration offices is not sufficient. Furthermore, there is only one stamp (per office) and this caused delay in the name verification and vote registration. For example, this was the case of Poipet commune, O Chreuv district, Banteay Meanchey province.
5. In a number of communes and sangkats where there are numerous new people moving in, the NEC chart does not reflect the actual number of people who have the right to vote. Even though the percentage of those who registered to vote is already close to 100%, however, according to the NEC chart, there are a large number of people who still want to register but did not yet fulfill all the requirements. This case is encountered in a number of sangkats in Phnom Penh city, in Sihanoukville, and a number of communes in Siem Reap province and in Poipet commune.
6. Several thousands of families who have been displaced from the city of Phnom Penh, have moved to a number of sangkats in Phnom Penh city, and communes in Kandal province. These people have not yet registered their names again in the communes and sangkats where they are currently residing. This case is encountered in the sangkats of Trapeang Krasaing, Kauk Roka, Chom Chao in Phnom Penh city, and in Ponsang commune in Kandal province.
7. A large number of monks amounting to several tens of thousands of them have not yet received the information and did not yet register as they wanted to.
8. Several tens of thousands of workers just received their leave of absence from their factories so they can return to register in their respective provinces on 14-15 October. A large number of communes and sangkats lack the necessary resource and the time to register these workers during these two to three days period.
9. The unfavorable weather conditions in a number of communes and sangkats such as continuous rainfalls, flooding causing inaccessible roads for several days, had prevented the population from verifying their names and from registering to vote.

Based on the above reasons, I am requesting Your Excellency to extend the period for name verification and vote registration, in particular in those communes and sangkats that have encountered difficulties in these processes, in order to guarantee that the people who have the right to vote all have their names registered in the voting list.

Please accept, Your Excellency President, my deepest cordiality.

Phnom Penh, 14 October 2006

Party President

Signed: Sam Rainsy