Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Civil Society Organizations to Push for Electoral Overhaul


By Colin Meyn - October 29, 2013

As the dispute over July’s national election enters its fourth month, a civil society umbrella organization, the Electoral Reform Alliance (ERA), is due to release a comprehensive report on widespread irregularities recorded during the ballot.

The report will be followed by the drafting of a proposed law to regulate elections, and a grassroots campaign to rally support for voting reforms, Laura Thornton, resident director of the U.S.-based National Democratic Institute, which is part of the alliance, said Monday.

This will tap into some of the un­happiness over the election results and actually create a grassroots demand for reform, and will feed nicely into government pledges to make reforms,” said Ms. Thornton, adding that investigations conducted by the ERA would be used to improve the electoral system for future elections, not to change the results of this year’s election.

While the CPP officially won 68 of 123 parliamentary seats, the opposition CNRP has claimed they were cheated of victory due to massive fraud and have demanded an investigation into the vote. They are refusing to take their seats in parliament.

The CPP committed in principal to electoral reforms after top-level negotiations with the opposition last month, but have yet to outline what these will entail. An election reform seminar is planned by the ruling party in December.

Ms. Thornton said that ERA, which also includes the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia and Transparency International Cambodia, would be pushing for the “complete overhaul” of the electoral system.

“From our viewpoint, we are talking about a complete overhaul: rewriting election laws, revamping the NEC [National Election Committee]. I am not sure if the government is on the same wavelength, but these are not new ideas, they have all been recommended before.”


An excerpt from the ERA’s forthcoming report says that a high number of disenfranchised voters combined with the issuance of more than 1 million Identification Certificates for Elections (ICEs), which are distributed by mainly CPP-loyal local officials, piqued concern that the result of July’s election may not have reflected the will of voters, as had been forewarned by election monitors.

“As such, on election day the warnings became reality, as eligible citizens with accurate identification were turned away from the polls, while at the same time busloads of people unknown by the community were trucked to poll­ing stations to vote using no identification or ICEs,” the report states.

“If those large numbers of disenfranchised citizens had been allowed to vote and if illegal voting had been prevented, it is unclear what the true election result would have been.”

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

BRAVO CAMBODIAN ONE NATION FOR ALL!!!!

Anonymous said...

Currently our country is not the same as before!

ស្រុកយើងឥឡូវនេះមិនដូចពីមុន។

ឥឡូវនេះស្រុកយើងមិនដូចពីមុន។

Anonymous said...

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ក្រោមល្អងធូលីព្រះបាទ, ប្តឹងទៅតុលាការ ឬ ចង់ប្តឹងទៅអង្គការសហប្រជាជាតិជាមួយស្នាមមេដៃ ឲ្យបែកមេឃ រញ្ជួយផែនដីទៀត
ក៍ផែនដីនេះមិនទាន់ដល់វេនពួកអាអស់ឯងដែរ នៅមានឯកឧត្ដមបណ្ឌិត
ហ៊ុន ម៉ាណែត ហ៊ុន ម៉ានិត ទៀត ។ល។ និង។ល។
ផែនដីនេះមិនអាចមាន ព្រះអាទិត្យពីររះលើផែនដីតែមួយបានឡើយ។
ចេះច្បាប់បោះឆ្នោតទេ? ចេះគណិតសាស្ដ្រទេ? ៥០+១ = ១២៣/២=៦១.៥+១=៦២.៥
លេខចេញយ៉ាងច្បាស់ចាញ់ហើយ មិនព្រមចាញ់ទៀត
ត្រូវចាំណា សមេ្តចបណ្ឌិតអគ្គមហាសេនាបតីតេជោ ហ៊ុន សែន វរ្ម័នទី១ មិនមែនជាមនុស្សលោកទេ សមេ្តចជាព្រះបាទ ហ៊ុន ទៀន ចាប់ជាតិ សមេ្តចជាព្រះបាទធម្មិក សមេ្តចជាព្រះអាទិទេព សមេ្តចជាទេវតារស់មកសង្គ្រោះប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា និងប្រទេសកម្ពុជាឱ្យ សម្បូរសប្បាយ រង់រឿង និងសុខក្សេមក្សាន្ដ!!!

សមេ្តចជាព្រះអាទិត្យតែមួយ រះលើផែនដីនេះ...។
ជយោ! សមេ្តចបណ្ឌិតអគ្គមហាសេនាបតីតេជោ ហ៊ុន សែន វរ្ម័នទី១ ជាទេវតានៃកម្ពុជា!!!

Anonymous said...

ខ្ញុំជូនចំពោះអស់លោក មេដឹកនាំខ្មែរជាទីគោរព!

សូមមេតាក្រឡេកមើល ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរផង បើមុននឹងធ្វើការអភិវឍ្ឍន៍អ្វីៗ៖
លោកឃើញទេ ពេលលោកធ្វើផ្លូវ គ្រប់គ្រងដោយបរទេស បំណុលមិនទាន់សង ផ្លូវក៏ត្រូវរលាយខូចអស់!
ពេលលោកបង្កើតឲ្យមានរោងចក្រ ពលករខ្មែរពុំមានការបច្ចេកទេស ដែលអាចទទួលយកការងារទាំងនោះបាន!
ពេលលោកកាប់ឈើ លោកលក់ទៅឲ្យបរទេស ពុំមានការឆ្នៃប្រឌិត ដែលអាចឲ្យមានការងារ សម្រាប់ពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរ!
ឡោនិសាទ ឧទ្យានជាតិ ដីរ៉ែ ដីសមទាន សម្បត្តិជាតិ ដូចអង្គវត្ត។ល។ សុទ្ធតែគ្រប់គ្រងដោយបរទេស។
អស់លោក គួរតែបណ្ដុះបណ្ដាលពលរដ្ឋរបស់ខ្លួន ហើយអភិវឍ្ឍន៍អ្វីៗដោយប្រើប្រាស់ធនធានមនុស្សខ្មែរទៅតាមសម្រួល មិនមែនធ្វើអ្វីឲ្យខាងតែបានទាំងកំហ៊ុក ហើយអាងដោះសារថា៖ "យកអ្នកបច្ចេកទេសមក ព្រោះមនុស្សខ្មែរពុំមានតាមតម្រូវការ"
សូមមេតាបញ្ឈប់ធ្វើអ្វីៗទាំងបង្ខំ ផលប្រយោជន៍បានទៅបរទេស បំណុលកូនខ្មែរជាអ្នកសងយ៉ាងនេះទៀតទៅ!