Sam Rainsy Party Election Campaign Under Compromise

January 14, 2012
Source: http://www.liberal-international.org/newsletter.asp?ia_id=2193#anchor3256

Liberal International
Issue 265

Sam Rainsy Party Election Campaign Under Compromise

In a letter to the Cambodian National Election Committee (NEC), the Sam Rainsy Party (LI full member) expressed concerns that the Committee had manipulated its election campaign by editing out important parts thus "taking voting decisions away from the voters." Under electoral campaign rules, the opposition Sam Rainsy Party and the ruling Cambodian People's Party were both allocated two 30-minute slots this past Tuesday on the main national TV channel (TVK) to campaign for votes in the upcoming Senate elections to be held on 29 January . However, important campaign arguments that were critical for the Sam Rainsy Party were cut from their campaign videos and thus not aired without any prior notification from the Committee. The Deputy Secretary-General of the party, Kuoy Bunroeun, commented saying "it is a mistake of the NEC to play a role that does not comply with the law and the rights of political parties. The NEC should keep the citizens as owners of the election and let them do the judging of political parties' propaganda."