800 votes bought by CPP

29 Jan 2012
By Leang Delux
Radio France Internationale
Translated from Khmer by Teuk Si Iv Khmer

The election for the Senate ended on Sunday afternoon and it was conducted in an atmosphere of calm. That was what Im Suosdey, president of the National Election of Cheaters (NEC), claimed during a press conference that ended not too long ago. Im Suosdey indicated that based on preliminary results, the CPP lead the SRP by a large margin (KI-Media: Wasn’t it a foregone conclusion?). A CPP representative announced that his party received 800 votes from members of other parties.

According the report provided by the NEC, commonly known as the National Election of Cheaters, the CPP received a wide margin of votes over the SRP, even though this is just a temporary result. Furthermore, a CPP representative immediately announced during a press conference held about 1 hour ago that the CPP received 797 votes from members of other parties.

The NEC report indicated that 58 votes were unaccounted for due to people not going to vote. The total number of votes counted was 11,383.

Im Suosdey commented that the atmosphere of the election was calm and the election was conducted smoothly.

320,000 New Voters Urged To Register

The National Election Committee hopes to register some 320,000 new voters between October and December, adding to a list of more than 8.3 million. (Photo: AP)

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Thursday, 09 September 2010

“But some legal conditions make their registration complicated, such as [a requirement for] identity cards and a residence book.”

The National Election Committee hopes to register some 320,000 new voters between October and December, adding to a list of more than 8.3 million.

The NEC announced its figures on Thursday, following an annual survey of voter registration.

“Cambodians of both genders above the age of 18 who have not registered or have changed their residences have the right to register at the commune office where they are living, NEC President Im Sousdey told reporters Thursday.

However, an opposition lawmaker said the NEC was making a difficult task sound easy.

“The National Election Committee seems to have a willingness to promote non-governmental organizations and opposition parties in attracting people eligible to register,” the Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker, Kuoy Bunroeun, said. “But some legal conditions make their registration complicated, such as [a requirement for] identity cards and a residence book.”

The identification of some 4 million people are set to expire between 2011 and 2012—when commune council elections are scheduled—he said. And around half a million voters have double names on the NEC roster, he said.

Im Sousdey said the Ministry of Interior was considering issuing a subdecree to extend the validity of ID cards, and he denied that 500,000 double names were on the NEC books.

“Commune clerks must write down the ID number of voters on the list and issue a receipt confirming their registration,” he said.

Meanwhile, local leaders like Yon Teng, Bak Dav commune chief in Kandal province's Khach Kanal district, are preparing to canvas for registrations.

“We are preparing all the legal documents for unregistered people who are 18 years old in all the villages,” he said.

Koul Panha, director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections, said his organization would help the NEC issue campaign information and register new voters, especially through broadcast media.

Voter Information Cards Spark Row

By Seng Ratana, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
23 January 2008

A decision by the National Election Committee to distribute information cards to voters met with resistance from opposition parties and rights groups who said Wednesday the committee will likely only distribute information to ruling party supporters.

The National Election Committee has been criticized for supporting the Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party.

The plan, which would use commune councils to distribute the information, could lend itself to political manipulation, as the CPP controls a vast majority of the councils, the groups said.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy said that in previous elections, his supporters did not get such cards.

“The village chief will not distribute them to those who do not support the Cambodian People’s Party,” he said.

NEC Chairman Im Suosdey said the committee would call for rights groups and political parties to be observers of the process to ensure the cards are distributed.

Observers worry that the cards, which are only informational, may confuse people; those who don’t get the cards might believe they cannot vote.

“Sometimes there is discrimination, and in some families, some get the cards and some do not,” said Koul Panha, director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections.

SRP: Sine qua non measures for the upcoming 2008 general election

Official translation

H.E. Mr. Im Sousdey
President
National Election Committee (NEC)
Norodom Blvd.
Phnom Penh

June 11, 2007

Dear H.E. Mr. Im Sousdey,

You are aware that in the April 1, 2007 commune council elections, many Cambodians who were registered with the NEC did not have a Cambodian National Identity Card and had to resort to ask for form 10/18 as their means of identification. The use of form 10/18, which is issued by commune authorities, caused difficulty for many people, particularly in acquiring photos, finding witnesses acceptable to commune officials, and overcoming administrative harassment and political discrimination. All of these problems ultimately prevented the concerned persons from voting. Besides, on voting day itself, many commune chiefs and clerks illegally issued 10/18 forms to a large number of people whose names were not on the commune's voter list. These two administrative issues are coupled. On the one hand, hundreds of thousands of legitimate voters were kept away from the voting booth. On the other hand, countless illegal voters were able to cast ballots through the fraudulent issuing of form 10/18, by using the names of those legitimate voters who were not able to vote. All these election shortcomings and irregularities resulted in a serious distortion of the will of the people.

Therefore, to prevent more difficulties and irregularities in the July 27, 2008 national elections, we wish to ask the NEC to decide that Cambodian National Identity Cards will be the main means of voter identification. This implies that commune authorities stop issuing Form 10/18 as a means of voter identification and that election officials stop recognizing the validity of those already issued. We also ask the NEC to cooperate with the Ministry of Interior to ensure that Cambodian National Identity Cards are provided to all citizens who are eligible to vote (Cambodians who are 18 years of age or older), as promised by the Government to both the Cambodian people and to the donor community. In order to do so, authorities at all levels from Provincial Election Committees (PECs) to Commune Election Committees (CECs) must identify and establish a list of those who do not have their Cambodian National Identity Cards yet. Commune and village officials from all political parties, with the assistance of Non Government Organizations, must publish an evaluation of the progress of card distribution every three months, towards the ultimate goal of 100% distribution.

For the purpose of next year's election, citizens who are now 17 years of age but who will turn 18 before or on July 27, 2008 should be allowed to apply now for their Cambodian National Identity Cards so as to get the documents before voting day.

These measures are a sine qua non for the next elections to be considered legitimate and acceptable for all parties.

Kind regards,

[Signature]
Sam Rainsy
Parliamentary Opposition Leader