Phnom Penh Post, Issue 16 / 01, January 12 - 25, 2007
The incumbent Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has hailed the National Election Committee's now-completed registration process for the commune council election as a great success.
But the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, and smaller parties such as Prince Sisowath Thomico's Sangkum Jatiniyum Front Party (SJFP), have made heated public allegations of intimidation, manipulation and fraud.
Now, after monitoring the process, a longtime election watchdog is saying both camps are correct.
Koul Panha of the election monitoring NGO Committee for Free and Fair Election (Comfrel) reported that the registration process did go "smoothly," but there were incidences of intimidation, threats, vote buying and administrative harassment aimed at preventing candidates from smaller political parties being registered.
Muth Channtha, spokesman for the fledgling Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP) said the Provincial Election Committee (PEC) and Commune Election Committee (CEC) did not respect the working times and had not followed the rules laid out the NEC.
"There were many technical problems with the registration process, because of the PEC and CEC demanded more documents for candidates registration than the requirement of the NEC," Channtha said.
Tep Nytha, secretary-general of NEC, said the official list of the party's candidates will be announced on March 14-15.
"Our investigation found that some of the political parties have tried to turn personal family issues into political motivation," Nytha said. "I think the political environment of the election process in general has improved from last year, and all political parties had access to information about the election process."
He said more than 100,000 candidates were registered for the commune council election, compared with only 75,000 in 2002. Female candidates increased to 20 percent of the total, a climb from 16 percent in the last election. For the 1,621 communes across the country, the CPP fielded 1,620 candidates, the SRP 1,587, the NRP 1,417 candidates, and Funcinpec, 1,407.
The process was marked by accusations from the SRP, NRP and the SJFP that the ruling CPP had set up a network of administrative harassment to prevent the registration of their candidates.
The SRP also accused local CPP authorities of using intimidation, threats, and vote buying.
"We call on donor countries and all international organizations involved in the development of Cambodia to put pressure on the government and National Election Committee (NEC) to put an end such threats," SRP wrote on January 3.
The NEC is spending $13 million to organize commune council elections and roughly half the budget was from donor countries. The SRP alleged that numerous cases of vicious intimidation occurred in remote communes in Preah Vihear, Pursat, Koh Kong and Mondulkiri provinces.
Thomico, president of the SJFP, said at a December 30 press conference that the elections will not be free and fair because the CPP has put pressure on the opposition parties at every stage of the election process.
"I believe the CPP would not be so strong if the ruling party played fair and free and was transparent in the election process," Thomico said.
In a January 5 radio broadcast, Prime Minister Hun Sen warned political parties not to threaten the nation's stability.
He said the CPP would not be "stupid" enough to make threats against other political parties to get votes. Hun Sen said all parties should adhere to the rules of democracy and take over power only with the support of the voters.
"Even if there are [more political parties] the election must be judged by votes; there cannot be intimidation or violence to gain votes," Hun Sen said. "The CPP will not commit bad deeds to get the votes."
And CPP chairman Chea Sim appealed to thousands of party members at the group's Phnom Penh headquarters not to use violence either before or after the commune council elections.
"I would like to appeal to compatriots all over the country to adopt the attitude of restraint, nonviolence, mutual understanding and a spirit of solidarity; I would especially encourage all our compatriots to go to vote on April 1, 2007," said Sim, who is also the president of Senate, in his speech at the CPP celebration of the 28th anniversary of the fall of Khmer Rouge.
But the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, and smaller parties such as Prince Sisowath Thomico's Sangkum Jatiniyum Front Party (SJFP), have made heated public allegations of intimidation, manipulation and fraud.
Now, after monitoring the process, a longtime election watchdog is saying both camps are correct.
Koul Panha of the election monitoring NGO Committee for Free and Fair Election (Comfrel) reported that the registration process did go "smoothly," but there were incidences of intimidation, threats, vote buying and administrative harassment aimed at preventing candidates from smaller political parties being registered.
Muth Channtha, spokesman for the fledgling Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP) said the Provincial Election Committee (PEC) and Commune Election Committee (CEC) did not respect the working times and had not followed the rules laid out the NEC.
"There were many technical problems with the registration process, because of the PEC and CEC demanded more documents for candidates registration than the requirement of the NEC," Channtha said.
Tep Nytha, secretary-general of NEC, said the official list of the party's candidates will be announced on March 14-15.
"Our investigation found that some of the political parties have tried to turn personal family issues into political motivation," Nytha said. "I think the political environment of the election process in general has improved from last year, and all political parties had access to information about the election process."
He said more than 100,000 candidates were registered for the commune council election, compared with only 75,000 in 2002. Female candidates increased to 20 percent of the total, a climb from 16 percent in the last election. For the 1,621 communes across the country, the CPP fielded 1,620 candidates, the SRP 1,587, the NRP 1,417 candidates, and Funcinpec, 1,407.
The process was marked by accusations from the SRP, NRP and the SJFP that the ruling CPP had set up a network of administrative harassment to prevent the registration of their candidates.
The SRP also accused local CPP authorities of using intimidation, threats, and vote buying.
"We call on donor countries and all international organizations involved in the development of Cambodia to put pressure on the government and National Election Committee (NEC) to put an end such threats," SRP wrote on January 3.
The NEC is spending $13 million to organize commune council elections and roughly half the budget was from donor countries. The SRP alleged that numerous cases of vicious intimidation occurred in remote communes in Preah Vihear, Pursat, Koh Kong and Mondulkiri provinces.
Thomico, president of the SJFP, said at a December 30 press conference that the elections will not be free and fair because the CPP has put pressure on the opposition parties at every stage of the election process.
"I believe the CPP would not be so strong if the ruling party played fair and free and was transparent in the election process," Thomico said.
In a January 5 radio broadcast, Prime Minister Hun Sen warned political parties not to threaten the nation's stability.
He said the CPP would not be "stupid" enough to make threats against other political parties to get votes. Hun Sen said all parties should adhere to the rules of democracy and take over power only with the support of the voters.
"Even if there are [more political parties] the election must be judged by votes; there cannot be intimidation or violence to gain votes," Hun Sen said. "The CPP will not commit bad deeds to get the votes."
And CPP chairman Chea Sim appealed to thousands of party members at the group's Phnom Penh headquarters not to use violence either before or after the commune council elections.
"I would like to appeal to compatriots all over the country to adopt the attitude of restraint, nonviolence, mutual understanding and a spirit of solidarity; I would especially encourage all our compatriots to go to vote on April 1, 2007," said Sim, who is also the president of Senate, in his speech at the CPP celebration of the 28th anniversary of the fall of Khmer Rouge.
3 comments:
The words of NGOs have no political interest, thus it holds more water than any one political party. So, if an NGO said there is pressure and corruption on the part of the CPP, then it is most likely true.
ALL SAM SEERAIN CAN DO IS CRYING AND WHINING LIKE A BABY, NOTHIN' ELSE HE CAN DO AND AFTER ELECTION HE STILL AND WILL ALWAYS A MINORITY AGAIN AND AGAIN! EVERYBODY HERE ALWAYS DENOUNCE THE EVIL, DEMON HUN SEN BUT AFTER ALL THE FACT IS STILL THE FACT HE 'S STILL THE KING, GOD DIDN'T PUNISH HIM EITHER FOR THE CRIMES HE COMMITED...MANY TIMES HE FLEWW OVER SHARK FEAST OCEAN HIS PLANE NEVER CRASH! AND HE STILL LAUGH TO ALL OF YA CHICKEN'S ASS SINCE HE KNOWS ALL CAMBODIAN'S WEAK POINT AND THE PEOPLE DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIS, WHICH IS PEOPLE REVOLUTION! THE ONLY WAY TO KICK HISS ASS AND HE KNOWS THAT!
So do you feel lucky for a
revolution?
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