Keo Remy: Sam Rainsy could return to politics if the MoI and the NEC agree to it

លោក កែវ រ៉េមី៖ មេបក្សប្រឆាំង អាចចូលធ្វើ នយោបាយបាន ប្រសិនបើ ក្រសួងមហាផ្ទៃ និង គ.ជ.ប. អនុញ្ញាត

Wednesday, 25 July 2012 10:17
ដោយ៖ ឃួន វាយោ
DAP-News

Synopsis: During a press conference held at the Council of Ministers in the morning of 25 July 2012, Keo Remy said: “Mr. Sam Rainsy cannot be involved in politics anymore because he was convicted and the Cambodian Constitution clearly states that convicts and people who are charged cannot present their candidacy to the general election, but if the Ministry of Interior and the National Election Committee allow it, the opposition leader can enter politics.”

ភ្នំពេញ៖ រដ្ឋលេខាធិការ ទីស្តីការ គណៈរដ្ឋមន្រ្តី និងជាអនុប្រធានអង្គភាព ព័ត៌មាន និង ប្រតិកម្មរហ័ស នៃ ទីស្តីការគណៈរដ្ឋមន្រ្ដីលោក កែវ រ៉េមី បានមានប្រសាសន៍ថា សំណុំរឿងលោក សម រង្ស៊ី មិនមែន ជារឿង នយោយបាយនោះទេ តែវាពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹងរឿងផ្លូវច្បាប់ ប្រសិនបើ មេបក្សរូបនេះ ចង់ ធ្វើនយោបាយ បន្តទៀតនោះ លុះត្រា មានការអនុញ្ញាតពី ក្រសួងមហាផ្ទៃ និង គណៈកម្មាធិការជាតិរៀបចំការបោះឆ្នោត។

ថ្លែងក្នុងសន្និសីទកាសែត ធ្វើនៅទីស្ដីការគណៈរដ្ឋមន្រ្ដី នាព្រឹកថ្ងៃទី២៥ ខែកក្កដា ឆ្នាំ២០១២នេះ លោក កែវ រ៉េមី បន្តថា «លោក សម រង្ស៊ី មិនអាចធ្វើនយោបាយបាន ទៀតទេ ដោយសារលោកជាទណ្ឌិត ហើយរដ្ឋធម្មនុញ្ញ នៃព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា ក៏បានចែងយ៉ាងច្បាស់ថា ជនជាប់ចោទ ឬទណ្ឌិត មិនអាចឈរឈ្មោះធ្វើជា តំណាង រាស្រ្ដបាននោះទេ តែប្រសិនបើក្រសួងមហាផ្ទៃ និងគណៈកម្មាធិការជាតិរៀបចំការបោះឆ្នោតអនុញ្ញាតនោះ ប្រធានបក្សប្រឆាំងនេះ អាចចូលរួមប្រឡូក ក្នុងឆាកនយោបាយបន្តទៀតបាន»។

Names Missing from Voter Rolls

Commune councilors cast votes in the Senate election, Jan. 29, 2012 (RFA)

Cambodians are finding themselves left off voter lists or unable to register ahead of commune elections.

2012-05-10

RFA

At least 1.5 million Cambodians will lose their right to vote in upcoming commune elections due to irregularities in voters’ registration lists, according to an election monitoring organization.

Koul Panha, executive director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (Comfrel), said some 1.5 million people who had voted in the 2002 and 2007 commune elections no longer have their names on voter lists ahead of the June 3 polls.

“This is a big issue—we can’t find their names. The names have been incorrectly changed,” he said.

“This is an information crisis. We are really concerned.”

CCHR Press Release: NE​C releases final Political Parties’ Candidate Lists for Commune/Sa​ngkat Council Elections 2012: Women Candidates are still underrepre​sented

https://www.box.com/s/c266ec96252b21cc0252


https://www.box.com/s/5e54f9667f26acf1d769

គ​.​ជ​.​ប​. កែប្រែ​ចំនួន​ឃុំ​សង្កាត់ ដែល​គណបក្ស​នយោបាយ ចុះ​បញ្ជី​បេក្ខជន​ឈរឈ្មោះ​បោះឆ្នោត​ឃុំ​សង្កាត់​

ថ្ងៃទី 17 មេសា 2012
ដោយ: សុខ ភក្តី
Cambodia Express News

ភ្នំពេញ: គ​.​ជ​.​ប​. នៅ​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​១៧​មេសា ឆ្នាំ​២០១២ បានប្រកាស​កែប្រែ​ជា​ថ្មី​ពី​ចំនួន​ឃុំ​សង្កាត់ ដែល​គណបក្ស​នយោបាយ​ចំនួន ១០ បាន​ចុះបញ្ជី​បេក្ខជន ឈរឈ្មោះ​បោះឆ្នោត សម្រាប់​ការបោះឆ្នោត​ឃុំ​សង្កាត់​ជ្រើសរើស​ក្រុមប្រឹក្សា​ឃុំ​សង្កាត់ អាណត្តិ​ទី​៣ ឆ្នាំ​២០១២​។​

​តាម​តារាង​របស់​គ​.​ជ​.​ប​. បង្ហាញថា ទី​១-​គណបក្ស​ប្រជាជន​កម្ពុជា បាន​ចុះបញ្ជី​បេក្ខជន នៅ​ទូទាំង ១.៦៣៣ ឃុំ​សង្កាត់ ដែល​ស្មើនឹង ១០០%​។ ទី​២-​គណបក្ស​សមរង្ស៊ី បាន​ចុះបញ្ជី​បេក្ខជន នៅ​ឃុំ​សង្កាត់​ចំនួន ១.៦១៥ ឃុំ​សង្កាត់ ស្មើនឹង ៩៩%​។ ទី​៣-​គណបក្ស​ហ្វ៊ុនស៊ិនប៉ិច បាន​ចុះបញ្ជី​បេក្ខជន ចំនួន ១.៤១៣ ឃុំ​សង្កាត់ ស្មើនឹង ៨៧%​។ ទី​៤-​គណបក្ស នរោត្តម រណឫទ្ធិ បាន​ចុះបញ្ជី​បេក្ខជន ចំនួន ១.០៧០ ឃុំ​សង្កាត់ ស្មើនឹង ៦៦%​។ ទី​៥-​គណបក្ស​សិទ្ធិមនុស្ស ចុះ​បញ្ជី​បេក្ខជន ចំនួន ១.០២៩ ឃុំ​សង្កាត់ ស្មើនឹង ៦៣%​។ ទី​៦-​គណបក្ស​សញ្ជាតិ​កម្ពុជា បាន​ចុះបញ្ជី​បេក្ខជន ចំនួន ២២៥ ឃុំ​សង្កាត់ ស្មើនឹង ១៤%​។ ទី​៧-​គណបក្ស​សម្ព័ន្ធ​ដើម្បី​ប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ បាន​ចុះបញ្ជី​បេក្ខជន ចំនួន ១៦៤ ឃុំ​សង្កាត់ ស្មើនឹង ១០%​។ ទី​៨-​គណបក្ស ខ្មែរ​ឈប់​ក្រ បាន​ចុះបញ្ជី​បេក្ខជន ចំនួន ២៣ ឃុំ​សង្កាត់ ស្មើនឹង ១%​។ ទី​៩-​គណបក្ស សាធារណរដ្ឋ​ប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ បាន​ចុះបញ្ជី​បេក្ខជន ចំនួន ៩ ឃុំ​សង្កាត់ ស្មើនឹង ១% និង​ទី​១០-​គណបក្ស ចលនា​ប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ បាន​ចុះបញ្ជី​បេក្ខជន ចំនួន ២ ឃុំ​សង្កាត់ ស្មើនឹង ០,១%​។​

Surprise! Surprise!

ខុម ហ្វ្រែល នៅតែឆ្ងល់ដែ​លគ.ជ.បប្រកា​សថា មានប្រជា ជន៩,២លាននា​ក់

Comfrel is still puzzled that the NEC announced that 9.2 million people registered to vote whereas the number of people who have the rights to vote is only 8.8 million.

SRP MP Kuoy Bunroeun asks the NEC to re-broadcast the original TV spots prepared by the SRP

លោក គួយ ប៊ុនរឿន អ្នកតំណាងរាស្រ្ត ស្នើអគ្គលេខាធិការរង គ.ជ.ប ឲ្យចាក់ ផ្សាយ ស្ប៉តវីដេអូ ច្បាប់ដើម ទាំងពីរ របស់ គណបក្ស សម រង្ស៊ី ឡើងវិញ សូមអាន

ខុទ្ទកាល័យគណបក្ស

COMFREL Recommenda​tion on NEC Compositio​n (ENG)

Dear all,

COMFREL is very pleasuree to release its recommendation on National Election Committee Composition and supported signauter by political parties.

Please see the attached document for details.

FYI : If you need releases or articles related to workshop on voter's voices, elections reforms, democracy/political reforms, decentralisation and governance, please feel free to visit our website : www.comfrel.org

Best regards,

COMFREL


http://www.box.net/shared/csera5h5lt6j6m1i75nd

SRP request representation in election committees

Parties Want Representation in Election Committees

SRP MP Ho Vann

Tuesday, 30 August 2011
Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

"Opposition candidates to the provincial and national election committees saw their applications rejected by the national committee."

Members of Cambodia’s non-ruling parties on Tuesday demanded that at least some members be allowed onto the National Election Committee, which they accused of ruling-party bias ahead of local elections next year.

Hopefuls for council seats in 1,633 communes nationwide will vie for votes in an election environment that independent monitors say favors the ruling Cambodian People’s Party.

As it does in national politics, the CPP has dominates the commune councils, holding nearly 8,000 of 11,500 seats.

Ho Vann, a lawmaker for the main opposition Sam Rainsy Party, was among those who met with NEC officials Tuesday. He said there are no opposition representatives on the National Election Committee, which is charged with ensuring fair elections and investigating complaints of unfair practices. This creates a “danger” for those parties, he said.

COMFREL Recommenda​tion on NEC Compositio​n

Dear all,

COMFREL is very pleasuree to release its recommendation on National Election Committee Composition and supported signauter by political parties.

Please see the attached document for details.

FYI : If you need releases or articles related to workshop on voter's voices, elections reforms, democracy/political reforms, decentralisation and governance, please feel free to visit our website : www.comfrel.org

Best regards,

COMFREL

Election Committee Cleans Up Voter Lists

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
31 December 2009

More than 8.3 million Cambodians are registered to vote, government officials announced Thursday, following a review of voter lists in October.

The new lists include nearly 280,000 new voters, with more than 160,000 names deleted from registries, said EmSophat, a member of the National Election Committee.

“Those who were erased have deceased, changed locations or have double names” in registries, he said.

Cambodia is preparing for commune council elections in 2012, followed by national parliamentary polls in 2013.

The registration clean-up was observed by all five of Cambodia’s main political parties, and no complaints were made.

Observers said such a process in a non-election year was less crucial than in polling years.

No homes and no votes for evictees

Villagers whose homes were burned in a forced eviction in Oddar Meanchey last week might be unable to vote because their identity documents were destroyed. (Photo by: Sovan Philong)

Thursday, 15 October 2009
Khouth Sophak Chakrya and Vong Sokheng
The Phnom Penh Post

Thousands face exclusion because of lost personal documents, groups warn.

THE National Election Committee (NEC) is shirking its responsibilities to victims of land evictions, critics charged Wednesday, as the fallout continued over suggestions that thousands of evictees may have been erased from official voter rolls.

A day after announcing that the names of 33,144 people had been removed from voter rolls, NEC officials admitted Wednesday that authorities have refused to register some evictees because they lack proper government identification.

“Some individual evictees were not legally living in their relocation commune,” said Tep Nytha, a secretary general at the NEC, who called the issue a “headache”.

If evictees truly want to register for future elections, he said, they should go to their commune councillors and obtain new identification.

The suggestion sparked criticism from rights groups, who accused the NEC of abdicating its responsibilities to ensure proper elections throughout the Kingdom.

“The upcoming commune elections in 2012 will not be fair if evictees are unable to vote,” said Koul Panha, executive director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (Comfrel), a local elections watchdog.

He urged the NEC to pressure the government to issue proper identification to the evictees, many of whose ID cards were destroyed or lost during the turmoil of their evictions.

It is not clear how many evictees may have been erased from the voter registry, but conservative estimates suggest they could number in the thousands, Koul Panha said.

He added that Comfrel survey of just three Phnom Penh communes – Trapaing Krasang, Prey Veng and Choam Chao – found at least 3,600 evictees who have been refused registration.

“We think that there are many other evictees who have lost their rights to vote,” he said.

In Oddar Meanchey province, where authorities burned homes to the ground this weekend in an ongoing land dispute, more than 200 evictees may have lost their papers, according to former Bos village Chief Huoy Chhuoy.

In Phnom Penh, 61-year-old Hem Sareoun said he and his wife, Som Ny, were refused registration because they had no ID cards nor a family book. The documents had been lost when the pair were rooted out of the Dey Krahorm community in 2008.

“The commune elections officers refused to register my name and my wife’s name,” he said. The Ministry of Interior oversees the management of government-issued identification. Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak declined to comment when contacted by the Post Wednesday.

Delay for the verification of the voting list and voting registration

Wednesday, 14 October 2009
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The National Election Committee (NEC) said that it will delay the verification of the voting lists and the vote registration for 2009, due to the flood water that prevented this operation. Tep Nitha, NEC secretary-general, said during a press conference held on 13 October 2009 that the verification of the voting lists and the vote registration for 2009 is affected for a period of time because Cambodia came under the influence of a typhoon and major flood in a number of province, therefore people could not travel to verify their information on the voting lists, nor could they register to vote. Tep Nitha added that he will extent the period for the verification of the voting list and the 2009 voting registration in a number of regions if indeed these regions can be verified that they were affected. According to the NEC preliminary results, for the period of 01 to 10 October 2009, the number of verifications of the voting list and voting registrations amounts to 95,446 in 1,526 communes out of a total of 1,621.

NEC: jailed councillors must vote

The NEC's Tep Nytha: ‘Detained councillors have the right to vote.' (Photo by: TRACEY SHELTON)

Thursday, 07 May 2009
Written by Vong Sokheng
The Phnom Penh Post

Election organising body says two councillors are in jail, but the opposition says there are five.

THE National Election Committee has asked the Ministry of Justice to ensure that jailed commune councillors are allowed to vote in the May 17 election.

Tep Nytha, secretary general of the NEC, told the Post on Wednesday that he knew of at least two commune councillors currently in provincial prisons.

He said provincial authorities would be responsible for taking imprisoned members to and from polling stations.

"Members of the commune councils who have been detained still have the right to vote," Tep Nytha said. "If any members of the commune councils are missing on election day, that will affect the result since there are only a small number of voters."

The country's 11,353 commune councillors from four political parties - the ruling Cambodian People's Party, the Sam Rainsy Party, Funcinpec and the Norodom Ranariddh Party - will vote in the poll to elect members to provincial, district and municipal councils.

The vote is part of the government's decentralisation program and is meant to fill the gap in political representation between commune councils and parliament.

SRP says five in jail

Yim Sovann, an MP and spokesman for the SRP, told the Post that at least five SRP councillors were in prison.

"One is the SRP commune chief in Kampong Thom province," Yim Sovann said. "He was accused of kidnapping, but this is political intimidation to threaten our activists."

The commune chief, Tuot Saron, was arrested March 18 and charged as an accomplice in the alleged illegal detention of a party activist.

Tep Nytha said he had not received any complaints of political intimidation from the contesting parties since campaigning had started.

He said the two largest parties - the CPP and the SRP - were running active campaigns, but Funcinpec and the NRP - which have only 699 councillors between them - were gathering in small groups at those councils where they have members.

Prime Minister Hun Sen recently appealed to the police and local authorities across the Kingdom to cooperate with the NEC to ensure a sound political environment and a free and fair election.

The election monitoring NGO Comfrel has previously said it will boycott the election. It stated that because the poll is restricted to commune councillors, and since the public cannot take part in the vote, it would not reflect the will of the people.

Challenges in Election System Remain

By Taing Sarada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
31 March 2009

Cambodia’s election system needs the help of a more functional legal system and an independent election body, an international group said in Washington recently.

“Obviously the legal framework has to be in place,” Chad Vickery, Asia and Europe director of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, told VOA Khmer. “So of course we can work on the framework of the election, we can work on the legitimacy of the voter registration, which is a real issue in Cambodia, we can work over campaign finance oversight regulation—but there are also has to be other players, there has to be economic development, there has to be civil society engagement and education.”

Cambodia is preparing for district and provincial council elections in May, where its electoral system will be tested again.

National Election Committee Secretary-General Tep Nitha said that the general elections in Cambodia have made good progress from term to term because Cambodia has its own election law with international standards.

But an independent election observer, Ma Sophal, disagreed. Cambodia “needs a lot of reform,” he said, “including true independence from the National Election Committee, and pushing to pass a law on political party financing.”

Cambodia has had four national elections since 1993, but many irregularities began in 1998, analysts say, when ballot-cheating, intimidation of voters, violence, bribes and other means were used to influence the outcome of the election.

Cambodian People’s Party lawmaker Cheam Yiep told VOA Khmer that Cambodia’s elections had received praise from the international community, and were just and fair. No elections are perfect, not even in the West, he said.

Opposition party president Sam Rainsy told VOA Khmer by phone that the political process in Cambodia remains “dishonest.”

EU Election Experts to Help Committee

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
18 March 2009

The European Commission is providing two technical experts to the National Election Committee in order to strengthen the agency for national elections in 2012.

Alexandre Castanias, a media and communications advisor, and Eric des Pallieres, a complaint and procedural advisor, joined the NEC Wednesday, the agency said in a statement.

The two will help the government body “in both legal affairs and media affairs” Rafael Dochao Moreno, charges d’affaires of the European Commission Cambodia mission, told reporters after penning an agreement with the NEC Wednesday.

Cambodia is preparing for district- and provincial-level elections in May, but the two experts, who are expected to stay through the end of 2009, will mostly help the NEC prepare for national elections in 2012.

“The two experts will be working with the NEC and will help as media or public relations and will help us make legal reports following international standards,” NEC Chairman Im Soursdey said Wednesday.

Opposition lawmaker Son Chhay, of the Sam Rainsy Party, welcomed the experts, but said he did not expect them to change the NEC’s system, which he called biased toward the ruling Cambodian People’s Party.

Son Chhay appealed for the European Commission to help the NEC hold elections that are free and fair.

“The NEC system needs more experts from foreign countries, such as the European Union, to train in the technical system or reporting,” Hang Puthea, executive director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections, said. “This is lucky, that the EU provided two experts to the NEC.”

He said he hoped in the upcoming election NEC’s election system would change.

Immunity Lift Should Not Be Used: Researcher

Dr. Lao Mong Hay (Photo: RFA)

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
24 February 2009

A proposal to lift the immunity of opposition leader Sam Rainsy should not be used in a case over unpaid election fines, a senior rights official said Monday.

“The method of lifting immunity should not be used in this case,” said Lao Monghay, a researcher at the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission. “There will be public concern, especially among opposition supporters.”

The National Election Committee has ordered Sam Rainsy to pay 10 million riel, or $2,500, in fines, following remarks about the ruling Cambodian People’s Party during campaigning last year, but the opposition leader has refused to pay.

Justice officials are considering a request to lift his parliamentary immunity in the National Assembly over the refusal.

However, Lao Monghay said the case was civil, and refusal to pay should lead to the seizure of property, not a penal prosecution.

He disagreed with a Sam Rainsy proposal to seek a pardon from the king if an appeal over the fines fails in the Supreme Court, saying it would be unfair to others who face similar charges.

CPP lawmaker Cheam Yiep said Monday he had not seen a proposal to lift Sam Rainsy’s immunity yet, but said if Sam Rainsy paid the fine, the matter would be over.

NEC prepares for the District Council election [-More election cheating to come in 2009?]

26 Dec 2008
By Leang Delux
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Click here to read the article in French
Translated from French by Tola Ek

The National Election Council (NEC) revealed the timetable for the election of District and Provincial Councils which will take place in May of next year. This election is part of the decentralization law which is now in effect.

On Thursday 25 December, the NEC organized a press conference to announce the timetable for the district election, as well as for the election of provincial and municipal councils. The exact procedures for the organization of the election for these two administrative structures were conveyed to all political parties and NGOs involved. Their input and recommendations can be handed over to the NEC up until 20 January.

The election is planned for 17 May 2009 and only commune councilors can vote. On 15 February, the list of vote precincts will be made public and the election campaign will be held between 01 and 15 May. The official results of the election will be announced on 29 may. The cost of the election: $1.5 million.

The election of the district councils is new, as is the election for provincial and municipal councils. This election is part of the state decentralization reforms. The Ministry of Interior is currently reorganizing the administrative division of the country, thus, Sihanoukville, Kep and Pailin, currently classified as municipals will become provinces. Up to now, details of the changes have not been announced yet, but they will be at the latest by mid-January 2009.

NEC prepares for next round of election rigging?

NEC Begins Voter Update for Next Election

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
08 October 2008

The National Election Committee made a public call on Wednesday for Cambodian voters to register and update their information with commune leaders.

Those eligible to vote have until Oct. 20 to update their local voter lists in order to participate in future elections.

The next nationwide election will be held in 2012, when voters elect commune council members. The NEC updates voter registration lists every year.

"It is very important that people participate in the election," said Tep Nitha, secretary-general of the NEC. "They must go check their names on voting lists to avoid the problem of a lost name in the coming election. And the young generation who will be 18-years-old by the end of 2008 must go ask to be registered on the voter list of the commune."

The NEC took two months following July's election to update its lists, and Tep Nitha said Wednesday between 250,000 to 350,000 youths will be of voting age this year.

Opposition leaders and election monitors said following July's election the voter registries were inaccurate, making it difficult for some to vote and displaying some names twice.

Problems with registration have caused apathy in some of the voting public, said Hang Puthea, executive director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia.

"We see the announcement of the NEC in commune headquarters," he said, "but it seems that people are less interested after the general election and people are not well informed."