Khmer Intelligence News - 06 May 2007

06 May 2007

Ranariddh wants to be King (2)

In exchange for royal family members to voluntarily refrain from getting involved in politics, a Council of Royal Family Members could be soon created that would give ceremonial honours and material privileges to princes and princess who would accept to docilely endorse the current regime and its façade of democracy. Politically and judicially embattled Prince Norodom Ranariddh could apply for the position of President of that Council, which would possibly allow him to be the next King of Cambodia.

Number of National Assembly seats could be increased from 123 to 150 (2)

Upon the request of the Government, King Norodom Sihamoni signed on 9 April 2007 a Royal Decree appointing SRP Member of Parliament Son Chhay as Member of the Committee in charge of determining the new number of National Assembly seats for the 4th Legislature (2008-2013). Given a clear provision of the Law on the Election of National Assembly Members and the population/electora te increase since 1993 (120 seats), the number of seats at the National Assembly could be increased from 123 now to 150 for the next national election to be held in July 2008. Since 1993 only three seats have been created just to represent three small newly created province and municipalities (Oddor Meanchey, Pailin and Kep).

Opposition victory in commune with the highest voter turnout (1)

To illustrate the consequences of the manipulation of voter lists by the CPP at the recent commune election (see KI, 28 April 2007: "Inverse correlation between voter turnout and percentage of votes obtained by the CPP"), the case of Taing Krasaing commune, in Batheay district, Kampong Cham province, could be pointed out. The voter turnout rate reached in that commune the highest level in the country: 95% versus a national average of 65%. In that commune, the Opposition SRP easily beat the ruling CPP, while all other parties were eliminated.

Most Cambodian French are voting for Nicolas Sarkozy (2)

Today, French citizens are voting to finally elect their new President of the Republic (second round of the presidential election). According to a final appeal issued yesterday by a group claiming to represent some 100,000 French citizens of Cambodian descent, right-wing candidate Nicolas Sarkozy is "a man of principles who share many of our values and who will help Cambodia by strengthening democracy there with the establishment of a true system of checks and balances, the defence of human rights and those of the Opposition, the organization of free and honest elections really reflecting the will of the people, a more effective fight against corruption that destroys the county and maintains the majority of the population in abject poverty, and an end to impunity that protects the worst criminals some of whom are members the ruling elite." The above-mentioned group has published a recent photo of Nicolas Sarkozy with SRP Member of Parliament Tioulong Saumura at a meeting in Paris 's China Town .

---------
28 April 2007

Inverse correlation between voter turnout and percentage of votes obtained by the CPP (1)

From the results of the 1st April commune council election, it can be clearly observed that the lower the voter turnout rate, the higher the percentage of votes obtained by the CPP.

If there were no manipulation of the voter lists at the early stage of the electoral process in the summer 2006, no political discrimination in election preparations, no administrative harassment or problems of all kinds created by the authorities to prevent countless citizens from voting, the voter turnout rate at the 2007 election would not have been merely 65%, but would have been at least 85% just like in the previous years in our country: 96% in 1993, 94% in 1998, 87% in 2002, and 83% in 2003.

Because it controls the state apparatus and has at its disposal important means to oversee and maintain its grip on the population, the CPP was able to mobilize all its supporters and send them to the polling stations on voting day. All of the administrative hurdles to voting were cleared for CPP supporters, who were easily identified through the CPP-affiliated village chiefs. On the other hand, those who were identified by the CPP as non-supporters were left in the dark or were intentionally led to errors so that they could not vote.

Of all 1,621 communes, the CPP made its biggest gains to the detriment of the Opposition in precisely those communes where the voter turnout rate was the lowest (such as Poipet, with a turnout rate of less than 30%, or in Phnom Penh where the turnout rate was barely 50%). On the other hand, in those communes where the turnout rate remained relatively high (over 75%), the results obtained by the Opposition were very good, resulting in some significant losses for the CPP. This is obvious in the 28 communes where the SRP preserved its commune chief positions or won new ones (see examples in the news above: "Communes where the CPP lost most heavily".

[End]