Sam Raninsy, opposition Leader (Photo: RFA)Thursday, August 17, 2006
By Pin Sisovann
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
Sam Rainsy urged National Election Committee President Im Sousdey on Wednesday to speed up distribution of voter information notices, claiming that only 1.7 million of 6.7 million people have received notification that they are registered to vote in the 2007 commune elections.
Though the one-month distribution period has already passed its halfway mark, only 20 percent of voter notices have been distributed by the county's village chiefs and the NEC has not yet started TV and radio advertising to inform the public of the process currently underway, Sam Rainsy said.
Calling for an extension to the distribution period, Sam Rainsy accused the NEC of skullduggery for relying on the country's mostly CPP-aligned villager chiefs to deliver the voter information. He also alleged that many information cards contained errors.
"The distribution of the voter information notices by village chief, as directed by the Interior Ministry, favors the CPP," Sam Rainsy said after meeting with Im Sousdey.
Though admitting that the process was slow, NEC Secretary-General Tep Nytha said the NEC placed notices in each village reminding villagers to collect their voter information notices from their village chief, and said TV and radio broadcasts would begin soon.
"Sam Rainsy thinks about politics. I think about technical work," he added.
SRP lawmaker Kuy Bunreun said Tuesday that the NEC must allow NGOs and political parties to assist villagers in obtaining their registration material or helping them register to vote for the first time.
Voter information notices will be distributed by commune councils and village chiefs up to the end of August according to an NEC news statement released Tuesday.
After that date, voters can collect their notices directly from their commune councils up to Sept 30.
Voter registration lists will be posted Sept 29. People who require corrections to their registration details will have from Oct 1 to Oct 20 to bring the required changes to the attention of authorities if they wish to participate in the April 1, 2007, commune elections.
Though the one-month distribution period has already passed its halfway mark, only 20 percent of voter notices have been distributed by the county's village chiefs and the NEC has not yet started TV and radio advertising to inform the public of the process currently underway, Sam Rainsy said.
Calling for an extension to the distribution period, Sam Rainsy accused the NEC of skullduggery for relying on the country's mostly CPP-aligned villager chiefs to deliver the voter information. He also alleged that many information cards contained errors.
"The distribution of the voter information notices by village chief, as directed by the Interior Ministry, favors the CPP," Sam Rainsy said after meeting with Im Sousdey.
Though admitting that the process was slow, NEC Secretary-General Tep Nytha said the NEC placed notices in each village reminding villagers to collect their voter information notices from their village chief, and said TV and radio broadcasts would begin soon.
"Sam Rainsy thinks about politics. I think about technical work," he added.
SRP lawmaker Kuy Bunreun said Tuesday that the NEC must allow NGOs and political parties to assist villagers in obtaining their registration material or helping them register to vote for the first time.
Voter information notices will be distributed by commune councils and village chiefs up to the end of August according to an NEC news statement released Tuesday.
After that date, voters can collect their notices directly from their commune councils up to Sept 30.
Voter registration lists will be posted Sept 29. People who require corrections to their registration details will have from Oct 1 to Oct 20 to bring the required changes to the attention of authorities if they wish to participate in the April 1, 2007, commune elections.
1 comment:
It seems the old habit dies hard. The opposition may try something different other than attacking NEC that can only slow down any possible changes.
SiS
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