Opposition, NGOs say election airtime boost insufficient

Friday, 02 December 2011
Kim Yuthana with additional reporting by Vincent MacIsaac
The Phnom Penh Post

The National Election Committee yesterday pledged that both political parties contesting elections for the Senate on January 29 will receive television and radio airtime on state-run broadcasters.

The ruling Cambodian People’s Party and the opposition Sam Rainsy Party will each get 60 minutes for a roundtable discussion on their respective platforms and 60-minute slots for direct videos, the NEC said. Both parties will also receive free airtime on state-run radio stations, it said.

NEC official Su Kulah Tipor said that each party could produce four TV and four radio programs. “These will be broadcast during the campaign period from January 7 to January 27 twice a day,” he said.

SRP lawmaker Kuoy Bunroeun said that the increase in airtime for each party still remained inadequate to encourage the development of democratic elections. “The ruling party has enough power to control the broadcasting system during the entire [Senate] mandate [of five years], but other parties have a little bit of time to broadcast during the election campaign,” he said.

SRP launches its campaign

02 May 2009
By Im Navin
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the article in French

Sam Rainsy, SRP President, launched his election campaign by traveling to Kampot and Takeo.

“We will not spend much money on this election because it is not a general election. Our expenses will depend on the number of councilors that we have in each commune,” Yim Sovann, SRP spokesman, declared.

Sam Rainsy’s message to commune councilors belonging to his party, numbering about 300, is classical: the government is not doing anything to resolve the problems faced by Cambodians. Sam Rainsy insisted on topics that hit [the CPP] the most: poverty, democracy and human rights issues, border dispute with Thailand, evictions and expropriations… “If the SRP is ruling, it will work hard to bring true power balance and a better sharing of wealth in the Cambodian society,” Yim Sovann promised. He hoped that Funcinpec and NRP commune councilors will vote to oppose the government.

On the other hand, the CPP launched its election campaign in Phnom Penh with an army of motorcycles and light trucks decorated to show the glory of the ruling party. The “pleasant” sound of loudspeakers spitting music and political program will again be ruling in the streets of Phnom Penh.